"The very rare double lookaway handshake" - Fans react to Iga Swiatek & Victoria Azarenka's cold net exchange after controversy in Bad Homburg clash

Iga Swiatek recently faced off against Victoria Azarenka for her round of 16 encounter at the Bad Homburg Open. The Pole claimed a 6-4, 6-4 win, but it was her cold handshake at the net with Azarenka after their mid-game controversy that piqued the interest of fans.

For Swiatek, Bad Homburg marks her first outing on the courts since her French Open heartbreak, where she went down to World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka after a lengthy battle. In Germany, Swiatek had a slow start to her battle against Azarenka, but she came from behind to clinch her 300th career win.

During the game, Azarenka had caused controversy as she engaged in a heated discussion with the chair umpire about Swiatek wasting time. After the match, the duo exchanged a cold handshake on the net and fans were quick to take notice. Reacting to the situation, one X user wrote,

“The very rare double lookaway handshake 😭.”

Another fan referenced Maria Sakkari’s heated interaction with Yulia Putintseva that took place on Sunday, writing,

“We should page Maria Sakkari.”

Here is how other fans reacted to Iga Swiatek's post-match interaction with Victoria Azarenka:

“We love a pissed off Swiatek haha,” one fan wrote. ‘Iga is so not having it. She’s done being the Mrs. Nice Girl,” another added. “Not Iga already channeling her pissed off just lost RG SF determined to win Wimbledon vengeance energy 😭,” one X user commented. “Love that handshake,” another chimed in.

Iga Swiatek reflects on her win over Victoria Azarenka

Swiatek at the Bad Homburg Open (Image Source: Getty)

For Iga Swiatek, the Bad Homburg Open marks her first outing on grass courts this season. The Pole has struggled with this surface in the past, and is yet to reach a finals on grass courts in her career.

After her hard-fought victory in Germany, Swiatek opened up about her gameplay in an on-court interview, saying,

“The first few games, I thought I was playing really well, and I had opportunities to break her, but I didn’t. I kind of got maybe less intense, but I wanted to keep doing what I know I can do, and at the end, it was a great match. It was my first match on grass this year, actually having byes in these tournaments is not always a great thing because I want to play on grass as much as possible right now, but I’m really happy that I’m through to the next round.”

Up next at the Bad Homburg Open, Iga Swiatek will play the winner of the round of 16 clash between eight seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and Maria Sakkari. Regardless of her opponent, the Pole will remain a strong favorite for the win.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya