Iga Swiatek-Jessica Pegula Match Stop by ‘Cotton-Eye Joe’
Tennis is a sport in which a whole section of people silences you for talking during a point. So you can probably guess how the country rocker “Cotton-Eye Joe” went down during a Top 5 matchup.
The crude but funny stoppage came on Saturday during the semi-final match between top seed Ija Swiatek and fourth seed Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open. During a critical point, with Pegula leading 4–3 in the second set tiebreak and three breaking points, Pegula attempted a volley over Swiatek into the net.
As the ball dropped, the fast-paced lyrics of “Lola Cotton I Go” blared across Montreal’s IGA Stadium and drew gasps from the crowd. The point was immediately suspended as cameras caught Pegula in disbelief.
The point was replayed, but the bizarre moment became the turning point of the match when Swiatek won 12 consecutive points not only in a tie-break, but in the first two games of the third set. Fortunately, Pegula bounced back from there and pulled off an upset 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4.
I laughed from the post-match moment.
Pegula will face the winner of the semi-final match between Elena Rybakina and Lyudmila Samsonova on Sunday.
