Swiatek made a stinky face at her aunt after losing; Saba took the ball print with his mobile phone, and the referee was furious

On April 19, 2025, in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, Swiatek lost again to Ostapenko 3-6 6-3 2-6 after a tenacious duel of 2 hours and 10 minutes. After the match, Swiatek was frank about why she seemed irritable during the match.

The defeat further extended the five-time Grand Slam champion's first title of the season. Swiatek has had a particularly difficult year, suffering back-to-back defeats in the latter stages of several tournaments. She also didn't seem to be able to control her shots well in this match, especially in the deciding set.

The 23-year-old appeared rather irritable during the game, making frequent mistakes and shaking hands with Ostapenko after the game was a little "stiff".

In her post-match press conference, she was asked if there was a particular reason why she was always struggling with Ostapenko and if she was irritated by it.

Swiatek: "Do I look annoyed today?" Reporter: "Yes. ”Swiatek"Is it more annoying than when I usually lose?" She added that her emotions may have stemmed from some stupid mistakes, while also pointing out that she failed to capitalize on Ostapenko's mistakes, which directly affected the result.

"I felt like it was a close match today, so I did have a chance to win it. She played completely differently before, and she played almost perfectly every shot. But it wasn't like that today, she made some mistakes and I had a chance, but I couldn't take it. Swiatek said.

After suffering a disappointing defeat on familiar court, Swiatek will be looking to revisit her form in the run-up to the French Open. Swiatek will be looking for good form at the Madrid Open, which kicks off on April 21. Last year, she defeated Sabalenka in the final to win the title.

And yesterday, Sabalenka had a dispute with referee Miriam Bley in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart. She revealed that her bold act of taking photos for evidence after a controversial out-of-bounds penalty caused the referee to be "angry" at her.

Sabalenka faced Belgium's Mertens in the quarter-finals. The Belarusian put in an excellent performance, winning in straight sets 6-4 6-1 to advance to the semifinals and take a step closer to his first title at the event.

Despite the seemingly easy score, there was a controversial scene in the first set. Sabalenka was challenged to have a shot that was ruled out of bounds when she faced a break point. Mertens requested a medical timeout when she was leading 3-4 and Sabalenka took the opportunity to ask the referee to check the marks left over from the previous round, but Bray refused her request.

After this altercation, Sabalenka boldly snapped a picture of the ball print as evidence that her shot landed in bounds. The referee then issued a warning to her for "unsportsmanlike conduct".

The three-time Grand Slam champion mentioned the incident in his post-match on-court interview. She said the referee may have been "angry" because she took the picture, as evidenced by the strength of Bray's handshake after the game. Sabalenka also shared that she didn't shake it back hard because she had no intention of "participating in this game".

"I felt like she was angry at me for taking pictures. When I shook hands, she had a very interesting look in her eyes and shook them very hard. I've never been in this situation. "But that's okay. Why should I play this game with her? Forget it, it's fine. ”

At the press conference, Sabalenka further explained the photo incident and stressed that the goal was indeed in bounds. She said she has always respected referees and understands that everyone makes mistakes. However, she also pointed out that misjudgments at critical moments like this cannot be ignored, and if the referee is really wrong, he should have the courage to admit and change the decision.

"Yes, that shot was definitely in bounds. I understand that everyone makes mistakes and I'm not the type of person who complains about the referee all the time. I usually have a lot of respect for them. "But I don't think you can make that type of mistake." If you do make a mistake, I think you should have the courage to admit it and correct it. I guess not everyone has that kind of courage, but that's okay. ”

Italy's Paulini, who won 6-4 6-3 over Gauff, advanced to the semi-finals, where she will be Sabalenka's opponent. Sabalenka currently leads the head-to-head record with 4-2, most recently beating Paulini 6-2 6-2 in the semi-finals of the 2025 Miami Open.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)