What happened with Iga Swiatek? From narrowly escaping disqualification to argument with chair umpire in Indian Wells loss to Mirra Andreeva

Iga Swiatek’s loss to Mirra Andreeva at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells had its fair share of drama. The Pole crashed out of the tournament in the semifinals on Friday, March 14.

Swiatek was the defending champion at the WTA 1000 event, having won the title twice—2024 and 2022. En route to her semifinal against Andreeva, she put together some resounding victories against Carolina Garcia, Dayana Yastremska, Karolina Muchova, and Zheng Qinwen.

However, the match against Andreeva was a whole new ball game for the Pole. The 17-year-old put on a resilient display to edge out her opponent in the first set, 7-6(1). Although Swiatek staged a promising comeback in the second set, allowing Andreeva just one game, she failed to capitalize on her momentum in the final set. The 23-year-old started the decider on the back foot, getting broken in her very first service game.

Emotions boiled over as the match progressed, with Iga Swiatek visibly frustrated at herself and her team. At one point, she angrily smashed a ball to the ground, given to her by a ball kid. The ball kid appeared to flinch as the ball bounced straight up and into the stands, where her team was positioned.

Several tennis players have been slapped with defaults for accidentally hitting staff members on court in the past, including Novak Djokovic, Miyu Kato, and Denis Shapovalov. Swiatek’s Indian Wells outburst thus caused an uproar online, with tennis fans claiming that the Pole narrowly escaped a disqualification.

At 3-1 in the third set on Mirra Andreeva’s serve, Swiatek also raced to the chair umpire, seemingly arguing that she was being distracted by ball kids’ movements during her opponents’ serve.

Andreeva eventually extended her lead and crossed the finish line with the score reading 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3. She faces Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, March 16.

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Iga Swiatek also took her frustrations out on her team after Dubai loss to Mirra Andreeva

Iga Swiatek (L) and Mirra Andreeva at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships - Image Source: Getty

This isn’t the first time Iga Swiatek has taken her frustrations out on her team members of late. Just last month, Mirra Andreeva secured her first-ever win against the five-time Grand Slam champion at the Dubai Tennis Championships. After her 6-3, 6-3 loss in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Swiatek publicly snubbed her coach, Wim Fissette, as he approached to console her.

At the Qatar Open, the Pole, who was the three-time defending champion, failed for the fifth time on the trot against Jelena Ostapenko. During the match, she had an uncharacteristic outburst as she furiously threw her racket to the ground.

Swiatek will hope for a quick reset as she shifts her focus to the Miami Open, where she is in pursuit of her second title after 2022.