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Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek not only survived a scare to win her debut match in Japan at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open, but she also moved the audience to tears, prompting tennis fans to react.
The Pole arrived in the Asian country for the WTA 500 tournament following a less-than-impressive showing at the US Open, where she was eliminated in the fourth round and failed to defend her title. She also lost her World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka as a result.
However, Swiatek is determined to narrow the ranking points difference with the Belarusian. She began her Tokyo campaign with a straight-sets victory over home favorite Mai Hontama, winning 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday (September 27) and advanced to the quarterfinals.
However, there was one moment before the start of the match that drew everyone's attention. Some audience members were moved to tears when they saw Iga Swiatek. Many were brandishing 'IGA' signs and got their phones out to capture their favorite player's sight.
Check out the video here:
Tennis fans were amused by this incident and they took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions. Iga Swiatek has the same effect on people as Taylor Swift, according to one user, who referred to the pop sensation's ability to make emotive songs like "All Too Well", "Exile", and "Last Kiss", to name a few.
"Oh she really does what taylor swift does to people," the user wrote.
Another user tweeted:
"Oh our unmarketable and unpopular queen."
Another account posted:
"That was literally me when I saw her for the first time."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
"It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy that I problem-solved" - Iga Swiatek on her victory against Mai Hontama
Iga Swiatek stated during her on-court interview that her triumph over Japanese Mai Hontama was not easy. However, she was pleased with her problem-solving abilities, which earned her a ticket to the quarterfinals.
"Winning five games in a row in the first set really showed me that I could play my game. It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy that I problem-solved and just got through the match," Swiatek said.
The World No. 2 will face Veronika Kudermetova in the last eight on Friday (September 29). The pair have met four times on the WTA Tour, with the Pole winning all four matches in straight sets.
The Russian got off to a great start at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, defeating Harriet Dart and Kayla Day in straight sets to set up a match with Iga Swiatek, who advanced to her 13th quarterfinal of 2023.
