Hilarious scenes in Poland Open as Iga Swiatek encounters a bug on the court, clears it off with a towel and hands it over to her psychologist

Iga Swiatek’s Poland Open quarterfinal got off to a bizarre start as the World No. 1 was distracted by a bug on the court.

Iga Swiatek took on the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals in Warsaw on Saturday, July 29. The home favorite held her serve in the opening game and followed it by breaking her opponent’s serve in the very next game to rush to a 2-0 lead.

At this point, Swiatek encountered a bug lying on her side of the court. The Pole promptly picked a towel from her box and proceeded to gently clear the bug off the court. Her home crowd cheered her on as she hilariously ran toward her psychologist Daria Abramowicz and gave her the towel.

Thereafter, Iga Swiatek increased her lead to 4-0 with another break of serve. She closed out the opening set 6-1.

In the second set, it was Linda Noskova who made the first move, cruising to a 2-0 lead. The World No. 1, however, broke right back and evened the score out with a service hold. Swiatek earned a decisive break in the ninth game of the second set and held her serve in the next game to seal the deal 6-1, 6-4.

The Pole is now through to her maiden semifinal at her hometown event. Last year, she bowed out against eventual champion Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals. Up next, she will face Yanina Wickmayer for a spot in Sunday’s final.

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"I'm still able to play well and win matches" – Iga Swiatek reflects on her positive season after making Poland Open semifinals

Iga Swiatek won her fourth Grand Slam title at the 2023 French Open

Iga Swiatek produced a century-best 37-match winning streak last year, clinching six of her eight titles on the trot.

The 22-year-old may not have accumulated as many trophies as she did in the first half of last season, but she believes she is a more complete player this time around.

Swiatek has added three trophies to her cabinet so far in 2023, winning titles at the Qatar Open, the Stuttgart Open and the French Open. The Pole has also battled a few injuries this year, which forced her to withdraw from the Miami Open, and made her retire mid-match at the Italian Open. She also pulled out of her semifinal at the Bad Homburg Open due to illness.

Despite the setbacks, the four-time Grand Slam champion is in the leading position in regard to the season’s match wins on the WTA Tour. She has also managed to hold on to her top spot ever since she made her World No. 1 debut in April 2022.

Iga Swiatek reflected on her campaign and stated that she is proud of her consistency.

“Well, I’m pretty proud of that. Because, you know, it’s not easy to play two such consistent seasons in a row. So, I’m happy that even though we had some troubles with injuries, and I missed like two tournaments, I’m still able to play well and win matches,” she said during her Poland Open on-court interview after securing her 45th match win of 2023.

The Pole also expressed her happiness about making headway on grasscourts, having reached the final four in Bad Homburg as well as her maiden quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon.

“I am really happy I also learned to play a little bit on grass. So, I feel like I am more and more complete player and I’m happy about it,” she said.