The second-round match between Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka at the French Open was nothing short of a blockbuster. While both players refused to give it right till the end, there was not even a single moment when the fans could take their eyes off the match. While the Japanese star seemed destined to steal the win and make one of the biggest turnarounds, Iga Swiatek showed why she is no.1 and the best on clay. In a match that went to three sets, Iga Swaitek eventually claimed the win with the scoreline of 7-6, 1-6, 7-5. While the match was nothing short of a sensation, the tennis fans clearly seemed disappointed about one thing the number of seats that were left vacant at the stadium.
The fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to spark their opinion on why the seats were so empty during the match. One fan came ahead and suggested that she would pay a million dollars to see a match like that. “girl I would pay a million dollars to see this match why are seats empty,” said the fan who was clueless about why the seats were empty.
Absolute treat to see Osaka and Swiatek playing like that against each other.
Don’t exactly know how you ensure there aren’t empty seats (maybe by making it the match of the day night session …), but this is a terrible shame when thousands of tennis deprived fans saw nothing. pic.twitter.com/2sZ1T9VMMZ
— David Law (@DavidLawTennis) May 29, 2024
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Back in 2014 Indian Wells, big names like Maria Sharapova and Sloane Stephens played to near-empty stadiums after headliners like Nadal and Federer filled the seats. This fan also highlighted the same issue as he asked why these many seats were empty during one of the most crucial matches. “I need someone to ask the French Tennis Federation about these seats on Chatrier. How are there THIS many empty seats for a match between two superstars on a day where it’s pouring rain outside?” said the fan.
Next, this fan also came ahead and asked the French Open authorities on the same issue and to bring some more people in to watch the match. “It’s actually sacrilege the amount of empty seats there are on Chatrier @rolandgarros get your shit together and let the people in #rolandgarros,” said the fan.
This fan also came ahead and suggested that Roland Garros should be ashamed of how less the number of people were in the stands. “Roland Garros should be ashamed by how many empty seats are in the stadium for this match,” said the fan.
Roland Garros should be ashamed by how many empty seats are in the stadium for this match.
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) May 29, 2024
Last but not least, this fan, while asking about the status of the empty seats in the stands assured the fans that the match was a pure joy to watch. “There are so many empty seats for this Osaka-Swiatek match! WHY, people?!? It’s incredible tennis. #frenchopen,” said the fan.
Thus, the fans, who watched two of the best superstars in tennis battle out a place in the next round of the French Open could not understand the reason why there were many empty seats in the stadium. While the seats were empty, the fun was nothing short. So much so, that even the great Andy Murray had to step in to voice out his opinion on the interesting encounter.
Andy Murray speaks out on the Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka encounter
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The match had everything that one could have asked for. While it looked like Napmi Osaka could win at one point, Iga came out of nowhere and stole the victory from the jaws of defeat. This match caught even one of the tennis greats Andy Murray’s eye.
Taking on Twitter, he suggested that the match is pure bliss to watch and even recommended the WTA to capitalize on more such matches to build the fun around the sport. “Osaka vs Swiatek is a brilliant watch wta need to do more to capitalise on these match ups!” said the British legend in his tweet.
Osaka vs Swiatek is a brilliant watch😍 wta need to do more to capitalise on these match ups!
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 29, 2024
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Thus, even the greats of the game could not escape from watching two of the biggest stars in WTA take on each other. While the nerves were high, Iga Swiatek rose on the occasion and clinched the win. What are your thoughts on the win? Do let us know in the comments below!