World No 1 Iga Swiatek edged comeback star Naomi Osaka in a thrilling battle on Wednesday night, before becoming the latest voice to take a swipe at the raucous French crowd at Roland Garros.
Swiatek won 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 in an enthralling two hours and 57 minutes. But a day after David Goffin compared the crowd to football hooligans, the defending champion also warned fans.
‘I am sorry to bring this up, I know we are playing for you,’ said the Pole. ‘This is entertainment and we are earning money because of you. But sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused.
‘I usually don’t bring this up because I want to be the kind of player that is in the zone and really focused. This is serious for us, we are fighting our whole lives to be better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that.
‘The stakes are big. There is a lot of money to win. A few points may change a lot. So please guys, if you can support us between the rallies, not during, that would be really, really amazing.’ It came after former world No 7 Goffin accused a fan of spitting on him.
Iga Swiatek (above) books her spot in the French Open third round after beating Naomi Osaka
World No 1 Swiatek edged comeback star Osaka (right) in a thrilling battle on Wednesday
Swiatek became the latest voice to take a swipe at the raucous French crowd at Roland Garros
‘When you are insulted for three hours, you have to tease the public a little,’ the Belgian said. ‘Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect.
‘It’s becoming football, soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.’
Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka returned from a two-year hiatus in January after giving birth and has been showing promise, but this was a welcome return to her very best.
‘I cried when I got off court,’ said the Japanese 26-year-old, who could not convert a match point. ‘But then I realised I was watching Iga win this tournament last year — I was pregnant.
‘It was my dream to be able to play her. When I think of it like that, I’m doing pretty well. I have my little book. In it I just wrote, “I’m proud of you”.’
