An unexpected moment has caused havoc in the ongoing Thailand Open. Despite the impressive performance, finalist Laura Siegemund fell under criticism, causing negative publicity before the finals. A normal greeting that went awkwardly for Siegemund because of circumstantiality has now painted a harsh picture as she now appears as a rude player. While decoding the moment from her semifinals, a question remains burning: was her behavior intentional toward her opponent?

Siegemund defeated Netherlands’ Arianne Hartono in the semifinals of the 2024 Thailand Open yesterday. This German WTA star offered an impressive game and took over Hartono by 6-3 and 6-3. After this victory, Siegemund enters the tournament’s finals against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova. While the German WTA star’s put on a stellar performance, what followed after her win caught much spotlight in the media.

After defeating Hartono, Siegemund came forward to exchange a handshake with her opponent. However, that didn’t go well, as the German WTA star’s gesture was more of a hi-five than a regular handshake.

While she looked at her hand offering another chance to Hartono, the Dutch prompted her to greet the chair umpire. Siegemund and Hartono’s awkward interaction soon flooded social media with tennis enthusiasts, dropping their opinions about it.

Siegemund’s gesture might not have been intentional to offend Hartono, it portrayed something different. People expressed their desire to see how she greets her opponents when she loses a match. This is because they found the German WTA star’s reaction rude to her opponent. Some spectators believed she wished to tap on the net first. However, in her momentum, she changed her plans and quickly initiated a handshake, which caused the awkwardness. Some also believed Thailand’s humid weather conditions might have caused sweaty hands, for which Siegemund’s hands slipped while shaking hands with her opponent.

Despite criticisms, this German WTA star leaves a mark with her 2024 Thailand Open performance. She displayed her impressive tennis skills while also entering the record books.

Laura Siegemund etches personal record for her career’s longest match in the 2024 Thailand Open

Three days back, this German player defeated China’s Xiyu Wang in the Round of 16 of the tournament. The match lasted for four hours and nine minutes, making it one of the lengthier matches in the Open Era. Siegemund not just defeated Wang by 7-6(3), 4-6, and 7-6(1) but made a record for the fourth-longest Open Era match on WTA tour. Siegemeund’s record was the second after Francesca Schiavone’s record in the 2011 Australian Open. She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in a four-hour forty-four-minute match at the Melbourne Slam.

Laura Siegemund’s impressive performance at the 2024 Thailand Open has received much spotlight. Despite criticisms about her awkward handshake, the fraternity wishes to concentrate on her performance in the finals. Do you think the German WTA star can win the title?