"Iconic" - Jessica Pegula's shocked reaction to being interrupted mid-rally against Iga Swiatek by 'Cotton Eye Joe' song amuses Victoria Azarenka
Veteran tennis pro Victoria Azarenka was impressed by Jessica Pegula's reaction to a song interrupting a rally during her match against Iga Swiatek at the Canadian Open.
Pegula's semifinal clash against Swiatek in Montreal was briefly interrupted for a rather bizarre reason. During the tie-breaker of the second set, a rally between the two was stopped because of the sudden playing of the iconic song "Cotton Eye Joe."
The chair umpire promptly called for a replay of the point. Pegula, who had already won the first set and was also ahead by a point in the tie-breaker, bore a confused expression at the time of the incident.
Pegula later reacted to the video of the interruption and shared it on her Twitter profile, expressing surprise at the whole thing.
"I mean what the," Pegula wrote on Twitter.
Victoria Azarenka retweeted Pegula's tweet and called the American's reaction 'iconic.'
"Iconic reaction," Azarenka captioned her tweet.
World No. 1 Swiatek eventually won the second set by taking the tie-breaker, but Pegula had the last laugh as she won the deciding set to reach the final of the 2023 Canadian Open.
Victoria Azarenka will compete at the Cincinnati Open 2023
Victoria Azarenka will next compete at the 2023 Cincinnati Open. The Belarusian is set to take on Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of the tournament.
Azarenka also played at the Canadian Open in Montreal, winning her first-round match against Magda Linette. However, the former World No. 1 withdrew before her second-round match against Sloane Stephens.
Azarenka turned to social media to address her sudden withdrawal from the tournament.
"Dear fans, I am sorry to say, but I have unfortunate news that during my warm up for tonight’s match, I re-injured a lingering injury that I thought was resolved and need to withdraw from the match. Wishing the event all the best success and good luck to Sloane for the rest of the tournament. I love Montreal and I look forward to coming back," Azarenka wrote on Twitter.
Victoria Azarenka is a two-time winner at Cincinnati. She won her maiden title in 2013, beating Serena Williams in the final. The second seed also beat the likes of Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic along the way.
She won her second title in 2020, when she was up against Naomi Osaka in the final. The Japanese withdrew before the match, and hence Azarenka was crowned the winner.