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"You get hate messages no matter what you do; glad Iga Swiatek is talking about it" - Ons Jabeur supports Pole after backlash during Cincinnati Open

Ons Jabeur has extended her support to Iga Swiatek after the latter revealed she faced backlash for dropping a set in her pre-quarterfinal match during the Cincinnati Open.

Swiatek defeated Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday, August 17, to set up a quarterfinal clash against current Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. The first seed, however, was not entirely pleased after the win as she talked about being criticized just for dropping a set in her post-match intercation.

"For sure today's match wasn't perfect. We all saw that. But the amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous," she said during a press conference.

Jabeur also progressed to the last-eight stage on Thursday. She was later asked to share her opinion on Swiatek's revelation and if she faced similar flak. She replied:

"Yeah, we do. I mean, I'm glad that Iga is talking about it. Honestly, I mean, you win, you lose, you get hate messages no matter what you do."

The Tunisian speculated that those messaging World No. 1 were gamblers who had most likely lost their money when she lost the first set on Thursday.

"We need more nicer people in this earth, but I don't think you can change the mentality of some betters. They have nothing to do in their life, and they are just spending money on you, and probably, what, they lost a couple of bucks on Iga losing a set," she said during a press conference.

The 28-year-old will now take on second-seed Aryna Sabalenka for a place in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.

"Wanted to just kind of encourage people on the Internet to be more positive" - Iga Swiatek at Cincinnati Open

Iga Swiatek speaks during a press conference at Cincinnati Open.
Iga Swiatek speaks during a press conference at Cincinnati Open.

Iga Swiatek recently denounced the hate she and her team received just over the fact that she dropped a set in her win against Qinwen Zheng at the Cincinnati Open. During the press conference after her match, she said:

"It's kind of sad for me to see that people I work with and myself, we are really judged. I would like to, yeah, encourage people to be more thoughtful and to also focus on the positive side of what we are doing, because today, even though I didn't start the match well, I would love for people to see how I problem-solved and how I really got out of troubles."

The 22-year-old further mentioned she was putting in constant efforts to improve both as a tennis player and an individual off the court. Swiatek said:

"I was able actually to do that [win] because I'm doing a lot of work physically and mentally also. Off court, I'm trying to be the best kind of player and person as possible."
"So, yeah, I wanted to just kind of encourage people on the Internet to be more positive and also see the positive side of what we are doing," she added.

Iga Swiatek will next play 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the semifinal.

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