Tennis is a sport where an entire group of people will silence you for talking during a point. So you can probably imagine how loud the country classic “Cotton-Eye Joe” was during a Top 5 match.
The rude but hilarious interruption came during a semifinal match between No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open on Saturday. During a critical point, when Pegula was leading 4-3 in the second set tiebreaker and scoring three points after an upset, Pegula tried to hit a lob over Swiatek and into the net.
As the ball came down, the fast-paced lyrics “If it would be for Cotton-Eye Joe” rang through Montreal’s IGA Stadium, drawing attention from the crowd. The point was immediately interrupted as the cameras caught Pegula in disbelief.
The point was replayed, but the bizarre moment became a turning point in the match as Swiatek won 12 straight points, securing not only the tiebreak but also the first two games of the third set. Fortunately, Pegula recovered from there and caused the surprise with a 6:2, 6:7 (4), 6:4 win.
She laughed about the moment after the game.
Pegula will face the winner of a semi-final match between Elena Rybakina and Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday.
“Gamer. Introvert. Problem solver. Creator. Thinker. Lifelong food evangelist. Alcohol advocate.”