Tennis – Madrid Open – Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain – April 29, 2024 Danielle Collins of the U.S. reacts during her round of 16 match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
The Tennis Channel’s coverage of the Madrid Open previously became a target of backlash from fans as the American sports-oriented television network didn’t feature the high-profile clash between Coco Gauff and Madison Keys. Now once again, the renowned digital cable platform has faced criticism for snubbing other blockbuster matches featuring the likes of Danielle Collins, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sakkari, and others.
In the US, fans can access live streaming of the Italian Open matches on the Tennis Channel. As the stage was set up for a clash between Maria Sakkari and Victoria Azarenka, fans expected to see the renowned television network feature the high-profile showdown between two top seeds in Rome. Even the 13th seed, Danielle Collins, recently clinched a brilliant round-of-16 victory against Irina-Camelia Begu. However, Tennis Channel was showing replays from the earlier matches instead of the live coverage of the singles featuring the WTA superstars.
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As fans didn’t get to witness Azarenka and Collins’ stellar wins at the Italian Open, they flocked to social media to vent out their frustrations over the Tennis Channel’s coverage.
Fans react to Tennis Channel’s snub of a high-profile WTA match at the Italian Open
The renowned tennis journalist José Morgado recently shared glimpses of two blockbuster encounters at the Italian Open, including the round of 16 between Maria Sakkari and Victoria Azarenka. He tweeted, “Almost 11pm. Two very good WTA R16 matches underway.” However, in the comments section, fans were quick to lash out at the Tennis Channel for their snub of these matches.
Another fan was ‘annoyed’ as the renowned television network didn’t stream the high-profile game between two top seeds, Sakkari and Azarenka.
Aside from the replays of the earlier games, Tennis Channel was also showing an interview, as it infuriated another fan.
A fan, who was eager to see Collins’ round of 16 against her unseeded opponent, was also upset as the Tennis Channel didn’t stream the match.
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In the round of 16 fixtures, the 9th seed, Jeļena Ostapenko, pulled off a pheromonal comeback as she prevailed in a three-set match against Rebecca Šramková. However, the Latvian tennis player’s thrilling showdown was also not part of the Tennis Channel’s coverage of the Italian Open. It prompted another fan to vent her disappointment on Twitter as she shed light on the snubbing of WTA matches.
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What do you think of the renowned television network becoming a target of backlash for their snubbing of high-profile WTA matches at the Italian Open? Let us know in the comments section.