"Rafa is her idol, it clearly reflects in her play" - Tennis fans react to Iga Swiatek's sliding forehand winner against Ajla Tomljanovic at Ostrava Open

Iga Swiatek has been very upfront about her admiration for Rafael Nadal, which also shows in the way she mimics some of the moves of her idol on the court.

This is what one tennis fan has noticed as two-time Roland Garros champ and recent US Open winner Swiatek slid for a winner in a match against Ajla Tomljanovic in Ostrava.

In a video posted by the WTA on Twitter of the second game of the second set, Swiatek returned Tomljanovic's serve with a forehand, slid twice as she defended with her backhand from the baseline, and then raced crosscourt to answer a volley by the Aussie with a sliding forehand winner.

The shot left Tomljanovic, who eventually retired after four games in the second, clapping for her opponent.

One fan noticed how Nadal is clearly the 21-year-old Pole's idol as shown in the way she plays.

"Rafa (Nadal) is her (Iga Swiatek) idol. It clearly reflects in her play," a fan wrote.

However, another user offered a correction, saying that "sliding on every surface" was instead comparable to Nadal's rival, Novak Djokovic.

"That sliding on every surface is actually 100 percent (Novak) Djokovic," said one user.

The fan defended his statement, insisting that the quality of reaching for every ball and never giving up was associated with Nadal.

"And that reaching for every ball and never giving up is actually 100% Rafa," said the fan.

Another fan tried to mediate, saying that Swiatek exhibits the characteristics of both 22-time Grand Slam champ Nadal and 21-time Major winner Djokovic.

"I mean, can we not agree that both players have great movement and rarely give up during points? It is clear that she (Iga Swiatek) has influence from both Nadal and Djokovic in how she plays," read one tweet.

Another user, however, had a different view as he compared Swiatek to former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters.

"Reminds me of @Clijsterskim," a fan opined.

Tomljanovic's reaction to Swiatek's athleticism did not escape fans, either.

"Ajla's reaction is ace," a fan said.

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Iga Swiatek now holds record for most match wins in a year across last five seasons

Iga Swiatek in action at the 2022 US Open.

Iga Swiatek moved into her 11th quarterfinal of the season after Ajla Tomljanovic retired, 7-5, 2-2, in their match in Ostrava. The Pole thus seized her 58th win of the year, the most by any player in the last five seasons.

That puts Swiatek ahead of former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty (57 in 2019), Kiki Bertens (55 in 2019), and another ex-No. 1 Karolina Pliskova (52 in 2019 and 49 in 2018).