"It's a shame Iga Swiatek can't count on other girls to do the same" - Fans react to Pole congratulating Jasmine Paolini on Dubai win despite own loss

Iga Swiatek congratulating Jasmine Paolini on the Italian's maiden WTA 1000 title win at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships has sparked reactions from tennis fans worldwide.

Paolini's journey in Dubai this year was nothing short of a fairytale. She scored victories over Beatriz Haddad Maia, former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Maria Sakkari, in the first three rounds. She then received a walkover from Elena Rybakina before defeating Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals.

In the final, Paolini faced another formidable opponent in Anna Kalinskaya on Saturday (February 24), who had to battle through the qualifiers to reach the main draw and beat Coco Gauff and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on the way.

It wasn't an easy task for Jasmine Paolini to overcome Kalinskaya, as she had to mount a comeback from a break down in both the second and third sets. The Italian eventually won with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 and the victory marked her second WTA singles title in her nine-year tour-level career.

Paolini received many congratulatory messages from her colleagues and fans worldwide following her exploits in the Middle East. Among them was Iga Swiatek, who took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Gratulacje [Congratulations] Jasmine! What a week."

Tennis fans have now flooded X with their reactions to Swiatek cheering Paolini on her victory, despite losing in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament herself. One user said that it's a "shame" that the Pole can't count on her colleagues to show similar support to her.

"It's a shame she can't count on the other girls to do the same for her," the user wrote.

Another wrote:

"It's called a class lady act."

One account posted:

"Because she is a role model! Classy and good person!"

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Iga Swiatek congratulating Jasmine Paolini:

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Iga Swiatek on Dubai SF loss: "I'm angry, but there aren't many players that survive these kinds of tournaments"

Anna Kalinskaya (L) and Iga Swiatek pictured at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships

After her 4-6, 4-6 loss to eventual runner-up Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, Iga Swiatek told the media that despite feeling "angry" at herself, she was determined to move on.

"I mean I'm angry but on the other hand, there aren't many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments so I just kind of have to let it go and accept it," she said.

The World No. 1 then recognized Kalinskaya's strong performance but insisted that the loss was her own fault as she couldn't properly execute her tactics.

"Today I would say, I mean she [Anna Kalinskaya] played well and for sure she deserves to be in the final, but I feel like it was more about me and my level. I wanted to be focused on myself and I wasn’t really able to implement any tactics that I had," Swiatek said.