"What a baby Iga Swiatek is";"Jelena Ostapenko is so pleased" - Fans react to Pole throwing her racket in frustration during Qatar Open loss

Iga Swiatek angrily threw her racket to the floor during her shock loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals of the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open. The Pole's controversial act prompted tennis fans to criticize and ridicule the former World No. 1.

Swiatek went into the match against Ostapenko in Doha having never won against the Latvian on the WTA Tour. The pair's latest clash in the semis of the WTA 1000 event marked Ostapenko's fifth win over Swiatek. The Latvian stormed to a 6-3, 6-1 victory to set up a final against Amanda Anisimova.

Unable to find solutions to the problems posed by Jelena Ostapenko, a frustrated Iga Swiatek lashed out by throwing her racket during a changeover. The Latvian was later captured with a mischievous expression on her face as she took notice of the Pole losing her calm.

Tennis fans spanning X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit soon poured in with their reactions.

"I’m sure Iga will be crying at the locker room as usual. What a baby she is," a fan wrote.

"When Aryna jokingly p**sed in her runner up trophy at AO (Australian Open) people wanted her banned from Australia, funny how this clown isn't getting treated the same way," commented another fan, referring to the backlash Aryna Sabalenka received following her loss to Madison Keys in the 2025 Australian Open women's singles final.

"Pressure reveals true strength. Iga’s loss to Jelena highlights the pressure at the top. Even the best struggle with emotions when expectations are high. Greatness isn’t just about winning, but mastering adversity; something young players are still struggling to do," another chimed in.

There were others who wrote about how Jelena Ostapenko has become a real menace for Iga Swiatek on the WTA Tour.

"Penko is so pleased," stated one fan.

"Penko has her number and there's not a damn thing she can do about it," another added.

"Penko needs to share her secret with the other girlie. She has Iga totally discombobulated," yet another fan weighed in.

After the match, Ostapenko reflected on her performance against Swiatek.

"I pretty much knew what to expect from Iga Swiatek" - Jelena Ostapenko after routing Pole in Qatar TotalEnergies Open SF

Jelena Ostapenko during her post-match interview following her 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open semifinal win against Iga Swiatek (Source: Getty)

In her post-match interview, Jelena Ostapenko revealed that she had done her homework in terms of preparing for the challenge of Iga Swiatek in the semifinals in Doha. The Latvian also said that she played instinctively, which, according to her, helped her oust the World No. 2 from the WTA 1000 tournament.

"Obviously I was preparing for the match, and I pretty much knew what to expect from her. I don't know, sometimes I know where the ball's coming, but sometimes I'm just going with my feelings and my instincts, so that helps me," Ostapenko said.

Ostapenko has faced her 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open final opponent Amanda Anisimova once previously on the WTA Tour. Interestingly, it was a Round of 32 clash at the 2022 edition of the event in Doha, with the Latvian registering a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.