Iga Świątek (1. WTA) defeated Ludmila Samsonova (16. WTA) 6:4, 6:1 and advanced to the US Open quarterfinals. Shelf will face Jessica Pegula (6. WTA), the hosts' representative and the favorite of local experts and the public. Of course, in the USA they think that Pegula will defeat the world ranking leader, and ESPN experts expressed this during the broadcast.
During one of the broadcasts, Mary Joe Fernandez stated that Świątek would definitely be defeated by Pegula, and Brad Gilbert said that Samsonowa would be the Polish woman's slayer earlier. We already know that the expert's predictions did not come true.
ESPN commentators overdid it on the Świątek-Pegula match? Fans are scoring. They won't say that again?
These words were quoted on the X website by one of the users, who wrote directly that ESPN experts do not appreciate Świątek as much as they should. In the meantime, a considerable crusade has been launched in the comments towards the experts of the American station and their bias and lack of objectivity.
“Considering that Mary's husband Joe is Coco Gauff's manager and Brad is her trainer, it's obvious that they are simply jealous of Iga,” we read in one of the opinions. “They are trying to manifest that Iga will be defeated so that Coco has an easier time,” we read further.
“Whenever they say that, it's Świątek who wins the tournament later,” notes another commenter. “It's not even a judgment, they just can't accept the fact that Iga is at the very top,” we read in another opinion.
The fans are therefore pointing out that the words of ESPN experts have nothing to do with Pegula's real chances of winning against Świątek, but with jealousy and an attempt to distort reality. It is obvious that the American experts are rooting for the US athlete, but in this case they got a kick out of fans in a quite blunt way.
We will find out about Pegula's actual chances to win against Świątek on Wednesday, September 4th after 6:00 p.m., when their match will start. game. The American has never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, and her record against the Pole is 3-6. She last won against Swiatek in Montreal in 2023.