Iga Świątek (2nd WTA) returned to the game after almost two months of break. In the first match of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the Pole will compete with Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova (13th WTA). The match can easily be described as a hit, although it did not arouse much interest among the fans.
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Empty stands before the match Iga Świątek – Barbora Krejcikova. “We received information from the WTA”
The situation was presented in detail by journalist Bartosz Ignacik. – Unfortunately, Polish flags cannot be seen yet, but I am even more afraid of one thing – that the fans will not be visible at all. It's also Sunday in Riyadh, but for this country it's like Monday. We received information from the WTA that everyone is at work, the children went to school, and the attendance will be even lower than yesterday – he said in the pre-match studio on Canal+Sport.
It turns out that only one Tennis player gathers larger groups of fans in the stands. – I have the impression that attendance will be high only at Qinwen Zheng meetings. Many fans from Asia took the trouble to watch the Olympic gold medalist from Paris, Ignacik said.
This is not a joke. 58 fans watched the WTA Finals match from the stands
The bad situation could have been expected already after Sunday's first match. – I look at the hall and I am devastated. Joanna Sakowicz-Kostecka counted the fans during today's first doubles match. She took the trouble to count them all with her finger. There were about 58 of them. It looks dramatic, he revealed.
These pictures do not bring pride to the authorities of women's tennis. – For sure, a few more fans will come to the meeting between Świątek and Krejcikova, but at the moment it looks like a big defeat for the WTA. Everything was organized in tip-top fashion, but there were no spectators – he summed up bitterly.
Journalists continued this topic after the match began. – This cannot be the case at the most important tournament of the entire season. Turnout around 10 percent. hall that can accommodate 4,200 people, although we think it is 3-3.5 thousand. The organizers must do everything to fill such halls. I realize that we are talking about the biggest money in the history of the Masters tournament, a prize of $15 million. Prizes are prizes, money is money, but there are simply no viewers here – commented Ignacik.
– To be honest, yesterday's turnout confused me a bit. Zheng's participation guaranteed us almost full stands and a great atmosphere. I was positive about the next few days, but this morning I received the news from the WTA, which had already taken precautions in the event of a disastrous turnout. They tried to explain it as a working day, even by saying that it's the week of exams in schools, so such pictures are to be expected. But honestly, I didn't think it would be this bad. If it weren't for the arrival of groups of fans from Poland, you could count the number of people in the stands here within three minutes, including those who help with the organization. When I watched the doubles match, I had the impression that there were more people directing the stands and managing order than there were fans, added Sakowicz-Kostecka.
Text coverage of the Iga Świątek – Barbora Krejcikova match can be followed on Sport.pl and in the Sport.pl LIVE mobile application.
