Tennis Controversies of the Week: Iga Swiatek in spotlight for all the wrong reasons; Jack Draper-Carlos Alcaraz drama lands umpire in hot water, and more

Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek grabbed headlines for a string of controversies during her BNP Paribas Open campaign in Indian Wells. In other news, Jack Draper clashed with the chair umpire over a controversial call favoring Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinal.

Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina landed in hot water for refusing a handshake following her Indian Wells quarterfinal loss to Mirra Andreeva. Zheng Qinwen caused a stir after allegedly declining warm-up with Marta Kostyuk in Indian Wells's fourth round.

On that note, here's a recap of the top tennis controversies from last week:

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Iga Swiatek’s Indian Wells campaign drew attention for controversial reasons

Iga Swiatek found herself in a controversial moment during her third-round match at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. After receiving a bye, she dominated Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-0 in the second round.

Against Dayana Yastremska, Swiatek chased down a drop shot in the first set, but the ball had bounced before crossing the net—an error missed by the umpire. She continued play, and Yastremska won the point with a passing shot. Despite the incident, Swiatek cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

In another incident, Swiatek narrowly avoided disqualification in her 6-7(1), 6-1, 3-6 semifinal loss to Mirra Andreeva. In the third set, she angrily bounced a ball from a ball kid, causing it to shoot into the stands, making the ball kid flinch.

Watch the video here:

Later, at 3-1, Swiatek rushed to the umpire, seemingly complaining about ball kids’ movements during her opponent’s serve. Her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, also drew criticism for shouting at her during the match.

Watch the video here:

Iga Swiatek will now participate in the Miami Open, where she is seeded second. The Pole received a bye into the second round, where she will take on either Caroline Garcia or a qualifier on March 20, 2025.

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Jack Draper engaged in a heated exchange with umpire in Indian Wells SF

Jack Draper confronted chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani over a disputed call during his 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 semifinal win against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

In the third set, Lahyani ruled a double bounce on Draper as Alcaraz’s return landed out. Draper challenged, and a video review confirmed that he had reached the ball on the first bounce. Despite this, Lahyani ordered a replay, arguing that his call may have disrupted Alcaraz. Draper requested another review, insisting Alcaraz wasn’t hindered.

Lahyani ultimately admitted his call was late and awarded the point to Draper. Alcaraz, showing sportsmanship, accepted the decision without protest.

Watch the video here:

13th seed Jack Draper advanced to the final, where he defeated 12th seed Holger Rune 6-2, 6-2, clinching his maiden ATP Master 1000 title.

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Elina Svitolina received criticism for her behavior following her loss to Mirra Andreeva in Indian Wells QF

Elina Svitolina faced backlash for refusing to shake hands with 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva after her 5-7, 3-6 quarterfinal loss at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She has consistently declined handshakes with players from Russia and Belarus since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After the match, Svitolina avoided eye contact with Andreeva and headed directly to the chair umpire for a handshake.

Watch the video here:

Ninth seed Mirra Andreeva went on to defeat Iga Swiatek to reach the final, where she clinched her third WTA singles title by winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 against top seed Aryna Sabalenka.

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Zheng Qinwen sparked controversy over reported warm-up snub before Indian Wells 4R match

Zheng Qinwen landed in hot water for refusing to complete the warm-up with Marta Kostyuk ahead of their fourth-round clash at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

As per social media discussions, Qinwen declined to feed Kostyuk smashes, opting instead to practice her first serves before the time expired. After a debate with the umpire, the warm-up clock was extended, allowing Kostyuk a few smashes before they moved on to serving.

Watch the video here:

The match culminated with Zheng Qinwen winning 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals, where she lost 3-6, 3-6 to Iga Swiatek. She will now kick off her Miami Open campaign, where she is seeded ninth. The Chinese tennis star received a bye into the second round, where she will take on either Lauren Davis or a qualifier on March 20, 2025.