Jessica Pegula says it was a 'bummer' Cotton Eye Joe played during crucial Canadian Open point

Tennis star Jessica Pegula has responded to the now viral gaffe at the Canadian Open which saw the song 'Cotton Eye Joe' play during a crucial point in her game against Iga Swiatek.

The American upset the world number one in three sets to reach the final however there was only one moment that tennis fans were talking about after the contest.

During a tie-break in the second set, Swiatek was serving at 3-4 when inexplicably the 1995 school disco classic 'Cotton Eye Joe' by Rednex started to play over the tannoys.

The moment shocked those in attendance in Montreal and play was briefly paused.

Speaking at the post-match press conference 29-year-old Pegula said that the she thought the moment was "funny" adding: "I've never had that happen, let alone with ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe.’ I was, like, ‘Is this really happening right now?’ Of all the songs. It was just, like, what is going on?”

However, it wasn't all fun and games as she would go on to lose the tie-break. Even more annoying for her was the fact that the return she played just before Cotton Eye Joe blasted out of the speakers looked to be a good one.

She said: "Yeah, it was a bummer because I hit a really good lob, and she barely got it, and I had a really good play on the ball, and she was kind of out of position from the lob that I hit.

"So, I mean, I don't know if I would have won the point. Maybe. I would have been up 5-2, but that doesn't mean I'm going to win the tiebreaker. I think the wind started shifting, so I felt like I was really against the wind on that side, the side that that point happened on."

Despite the setback Pegula still managed to defeat her Polish opponent and will now play either Elena Rybakina or Liudmila Samsonova in the final.

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