Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek lashes out at ball kid in shocking incident

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek has faced criticism following an outburst directed at a ball kid during her semi-final loss to Russia’s Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells.

The young Russian talent triumphed over the reigning Indian Wells champion with scores of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, marking her as the youngest finalist in the tournament since 2001.

However, Andreeva’s success was overshadowed by Swiatek’s disturbing response toward the ball kids during the match.

As one ball kid held his arms out, Swiatek lost her cool and hit the ball in his direction.

Fortunately, the ball narrowly avoided the kid and soared into the stands.

Viewers were taken aback by Swiatek’s actions, with one commentator expressing shock, while another condemned the incident as “terrible.”

The crowd’s response was swift, with boos ringing out across the arena as the atmosphere turned hostile.

This wasn’t the only instance of discontent from the crowd during the match, as Swiatek had previously received boos leading up to the final set.

The 23-year-old raised concerns with the chair umpire about what she claimed was distracting movement from the ball kids behind her while waiting for Andreeva’s serves.

However, the umpire found no evidence to back up Swiatek’s assertions.

Andreeva is set to face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Monday morning (AEDT).

After the match, Andreeva expressed her unexpected sense of confidence, stating, “I felt like I was going to play the tiebreak as if it were the last one of my life.”

She added, “I just went for every shot. My serve was on point, and I felt incredibly comfortable and confident.”