**Amanda Anisimova’s Mid-Set Toilet Break Stirs Controversy During WTA Finals Clash with Iga Swiatek**
Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek squared off in a fiercely contested group stage match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. During the heated encounter, Anisimova unexpectedly took a toilet break in the middle of a set, surprising fans and sparking debate across the tennis world.
According to WTA rules, players are permitted one toilet break per match, which is typically expected to occur during a set break. The rulebook specifies that toilet breaks should not be used for changing clothes, cooling down, or medical reasons. While a player can request a toilet break at another time, it falls to the discretion of the chair umpire to grant what is termed an “emergency toilet break.” Crucially, the opponent is not allowed to warm up during this time.
The timing of Anisimova’s break—taken just before Swiatek’s service game—led to a flurry of reactions from fans online. Many questioned the appropriateness and fairness of the move. One fan wrote, “Shady tactics? Anisimova went to the bathroom mid set today, right before Iga’s serve.”
Another added, “Why is there a break in a match in the middle of a set? Imagine Iga taking a bathroom break before an opponent’s serve. Novels would have been written about it.”
Other fans voiced similar sentiments:
– “Did Amanda just go to the bathroom mid set?? Before Iga’s service game?”
– “That’s so weird. Iga will get criticized if she is the one who did that.”
– “Petko [Andrea Petkovic] was also very surprised that the umpire allowed that.”
– “Did Amanda just go to the toilet in the middle of the set? Before Iga serves? WTAF?”
**Iga Swiatek Exits WTA Finals After Defeat to Anisimova**
Iga Swiatek had started her WTA Finals campaign strongly, notching an easy win over Madison Keys. Her second group stage match against Elena Rybakina began positively, but Rybakina rallied to dominate the final two sets, putting Swiatek on the brink of elimination.
Facing Anisimova in what was effectively a virtual quarterfinal, Swiatek needed a victory to progress beyond Serena Williams’ group stage. However, Amanda Anisimova clinched the match in three sets, winning 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in a dramatic, winner-takes-all showdown.
As a result, Iga Swiatek was eliminated from the WTA Finals, leaving fans and pundits debating both the match’s momentum swings and the impact of the controversial mid-set break.
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*Stay tuned for more updates and analysis from the WTA Finals in Riyadh.*
https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-andrea-petkovic-also-surprised-umpire-allowed-that-iga-swiatek-fans-call-amanda-anisimova-s-weird-bathroom-break-wta-finals
