"Her game is one dimensional and everyone is catching on" - Iga Swiatek's QF loss to Veronika Kudermetova at Japan Open leaves tennis fans shocked

Veronika Kudermetova pulled a rabbit out of the hat on Friday, defeating Iga Swiatek in a thrilling three-set quarterfinal battle at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open. Kudermetova emerged victorious with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, leaving Swiatek stunned and out of the tournament.

The Russian player sailed through the first set like a breeze, but Iga Swiatek caught fire in the second set, leveling the score. Kudermetova, though, eventually clinched the final set to sail into the semifinals.

The 26-year-old will now go head-to-head with compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 7-5 to secure her spot in the last four.

Before this defeat, Iga Swiatek had always had the upper hand against Veronika Kudermetova, boasting a 4-0 head-to-head record. That is why several tennis fans were in a state of shock at the result on Friday, and took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions.

According to one user, Iga Swiatek's chances of winning a Grand Slam in the upcoming year were as good as gone.

"Iga's time is up. No slam next year for her," the user wrote.

Another user sounded happy for Kudermetova but expressed concern that Swiatek might have lost confidence after being dethroned from the top ranking and failing to defend her US Open title.

"Wow. Veronika with the upset. Do you guys think Iga’s loss in the US Open and no 1 ranking is affecting her confidence?" the user wrote.

Another account posted:

"Lol hurts you to post this one huh? “ def wasn’t Iga’s day” ??? Are you kidding her serve is getting exposed so much Mai did it first but didnt have the tools to wins , Kuder did and packed her up. Safe to say her game is one dimensional and everyone is catching on #ClayMerchant."

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

---

"People recognize me almost everywhere, difficult for me to live in peace" - Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek pictured at the 2023 US Open - Day 7

Iga Swiatek recently admitted that she struggles to loosen up and unwind outside the court, as her loyal fans can easily spot her. The four-time Grand Slam champion said in an interview with newsroom.porsche.com:

"People recognize me almost everywhere. It’s difficult for me to live in peace and quiet."

The Pole also talked about how much she enjoys driving. She was recently spotted driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT in Ohio and said that she relished every opportunity to test the vehicle.

"When driving fast cars on normal roads, it’s impossible to extract the car’s full potential. I love being able to take advantage of the power in certain situations, like when overtaking, being able to accelerate quickly if necessary gives me a feeling of safety," she said.