An Australian Open star played below par during her opening clash down under – but she suffered a wardrobe malfunction during the clash
An Australian Open star suffered a wardrobe malfunction during her first round clash on Monday, forcing her to intentionally tear her skirt.
Iga Swiatek triumphed over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue in straight sets, bouncing back from an early fright to secure a solid 7-6 6-3 win. Despite being broken in the first set by her lesser-known opponent who forced a tiebreak, Swiatek managed to pull through.
The second set saw smoother progress for Swiatek as she found her stride and capitalised on Yuan’s missed chance to strike. Earlier in the match, it was evident that she was uncomfortable and not moving as smoothly as she would have preferred.
In a desperate bid to ease things, she attempted to adjust her skirt in a spontaneous DIY session between points. Swiatek was seen trying to rip her seemingly too tight skirt, which was limiting her movement, while seated in her chair, reports the Express.
She succeeded in creating a tear on the left side of the garment before standing up to test her mobility. Seemingly satisfied with the modification, she sat back down, awaiting the resumption of play.
The alteration appeared to have the intended effect as Swiatek took control of the match and closed out the second set to clinch victory.
Post-match, she criticised her own performance and asserted that she had much to improve if she hoped to have a shot at winning the Australian Open.
“I was a bit rusty at the beginning, didn’t really start well,” admitted Swiatek. “But I knew if I put in the hard work, I will play better so that’s what I tried to do. I’m happy that it worked, many ups and downs. There are things to work on.
“I started a bit tense so I needed to get my legs moving and go after my shots. I just needed to react a bit quicker and not be pushed back and really go for it.
“It wasn’t perfect, but that’s why I am happy, because it’s not hard to win matches when everything is going well. Today it wasn’t and I managed to win so that’s good.”
Anne Keothavong, who was providing expert analysis for TNT Sports, questioned Swiatek’s aggressive approach early in the match.
“I didn’t think it was ever going to be an upset, but I was surprised with how Swiatek started and how she approached the match and wanted to hit the cover off every ball,” Keothavong observed.
“I feel with her, it doesn’t have to be so big and brash at the start of every match. We see her at the start of matches, the speed is so much faster in the first three or four games than the rest of the match. She attempts to bulldoze her opponents and outhit them.”