Iga Swiatek called for a 'drunk fan' to be thrown out during her match against Amanda Anisimov in the knockout stages of the WTA Finals.
Swiatek succumbed to Anisimova in three sets in Wednesday's clash.
Anisimova secured her spot in Friday's semi-finals with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2 win over the 24-year-old in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek won the first set before Anisimova turned things around to win the game.
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But the Polish tennis star, who won this year's Wimbledon championship, was far from happy after bagging the opening set as she made a complaint to the chair umpire.
She accused a fan inside the arena of being drunk and disrupting the game.
Speaking to the official, the world No.2 said: "He is clearly drunk. Can you kick him out? He is disturbing the game. He is shouting during the second serve."
Naturally, Swiatek's complaint garnered attention on social media but fans online criticised her comments given there is an alcohol ban in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has a strict ban on alcohol for the general public as it is prohibited under the country's Islamic law.
One X user wrote: "Weird accusation considering the location. Public consumption of alcohol is banned in Saudi."
A second said: "Alcohol is strictly banned in Saudi Arabia. What is she on about?"
A third added: "Calling someone drunk in Saudi Arabia where Alcohol is fully banned....Clowntek for a reason."
After play resumed following her complaint, Swiatek missed out on three break points in the third game of the second set before losing it 6-4.
Anisimova took control in the third set, registering two breaks and losing her serve once to secure her spot in the next round.
Swiatek blamed 'karma' for her defeat.
“I felt good mentally, physically, and tennis-wise also it was nice, looking at the conditions and everything," she said. "So I don’t really get why I couldn’t go out of the group. Maybe I won too much in the last years and this is karma. It’s really hard for me to say."
Topics: Fan Reactions, Tennis
Nasir Jabbar