Iga Swiatek's 2nd Round Win Overshadowed by Strange Press Conference

On Thursday afternoon, Iga Swiatek defeated Suzan Lamens in the second round of the 2025 US Open: 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. The match was far from pretty, and the post-match press conference was a disaster.

Swiatek is always unflappable when speaking with the media. In fact, she is usually playful and lighthearted after wins. But what started as a normal media availability took a weird turn with the final question in English and the second question in Polish.

At the 9:30 mark in a now-deleted YouTube video by the US Open, Swiatek was asked a rambling question that started about yesterday's drama between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko, which turned into something about race and double standards among women in tennis and sports at large.

Iga Swiatek was asked about double standards in women's sports during an uncomfortable press conference, after extending her stunning Grand Slam streak at the #USOpen https://t.co/HenAc7c2M1 pic.twitter.com/l7NuFsSQ20
— Mirror US Sports (@MirrorUSSports) August 28, 2025

The question was unclear, and Swiatek tried her best to dutifully and diplomatically answer the loaded question in her second language.

"Well, that's a very complicated question because I can't speak about every sport because I don't have enough knowledge." Swiatek then explained how she was not fully aware of all the details from yesterday's controversy.

When pressed, Swiatek showed frustration and explained that she was only a 24-year-old tennis player. Things got worse from there when the second question in Polish was about putting beads in her hair.

Iga Swiatek responds to an odd question in press at the U.S. Open:

"What kind of question is this, I'm sorry. Did you think about putting beads in your hair? No. What's going on here?" 💀

pic.twitter.com/6hnThDHecn
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 28, 2025

According to Polish tennis fans, Swiatek did not entertain the question. Instead, she asked what kind of question it was. Her tone and facial expressions told the whole story. Luckily, the press conference ended a few minutes later.

Swiatek is now 51-12 on the season. She faces Anna Kalinskaya in the third round on Friday, August 29.

The US Open singles tournament runs through September 7. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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