Serena's tirade after foot fault ends match on penalty

Serena Williams is out of the U.S. Open after losing match point against Kim Clijsters last night for a code violation, a bizarre ending to what was a high quality and intriguing contest.

Williams lost the first set by being broken and was assessed a warning for smashing her racket. Then with Clijsters ahead 6-5 in the second set, Williams while serving was called for a foot fault on a second serve (a double fault) that yielded a match point for Clijsters.

Williams walked over to the linesman, who was not identified by the USGA, and was animated and angry in talking at her, pointing her racket and thrusting a ball at her and possibly using an audible obscenity at least twice.

The linesman then went to chair umpire Louise Engzell to report what she had heard. Tournament referee Brian Earley came out, talked with the umpire and the linesman and ruled a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, which is automatic loss of a point. And that was the match point that gave Clijsters the semifinal victory, 6-4, 7-5.

CBS television replays of the incident bleeped out the offending words. Williams seemed to say that she would jam the ball down the linesman's throat.
"No, I didn't threaten," Williams said shortly afterward. "I didn't say . . . I don't remember anymore, to be honest. I was in the moment."

Williams said she wasn't aware at first that the linesman was speaking to the umpire. "I was actually at the baseline preparing my serve, and I think maybe she went to the umpire at that point," Williams said. "Actually, I didn't even see her walk over to the umpire, so I have no idea what she did."

Williams could not recount clearly what was said when she tried to join the conversation between the linesman, the umpire and Earley.

"I think she [the linesman] said [I said] 'I would kill you,' and I was like, what? I was like, wait a minute. But then I had misheard. She had never said that . . . She [the linesman] was like 'No, [Serena] didn't say that. She said something else.' I said, 'Oh, OK. I get it.'

"And I was totally fine, because at that point, I realized I got a point penalty and it was match point. What can I do? I'm not going to complain. It was what it was."

After the penalty point cost her the match, she walked over to a bewildered Clijsters standing at the other baseline and shook her hand.

"She said good luck and I hope you win," Clijsters said.

Clijsters will play Caroline Wozniacki Sunday at 9 in the women's final. Wozniacki defeated Belgian teenager Yanina Wickmayer, 6-3, 6-3, in the other semifinal conducted simultaneously after rain pushed the two semifinals from the afternoon to a start time about 9:20 p.m. There were several fits and starts with the spitty rain during the day, but finally the mist cleared and the matches started at about the same time as any second-round match would start during the tournament.

Clijsters, returning to the tour after taking two years off to get married and have a baby, played a forceful match. Unseeded here and needing a wild card to get into the Open, Clijsters doesn't seem to have lost a step. Her game always depended on her quick feet and solid strokes and they were on display last night. Her serve was effective, her ground strokes deep and angled and for the first time in this tournament, Williams, the defending champion, was knocked back on her heels. And Clijsters had already eliminated her sister Venus in the fourth round.

"I think Kim played really well, and I think she came out with a really big plan," Williams said. "Today was a tough day. I didn't play my best. I kind of felt like I had more errors today I think than all my matches combined."



Asked if she owed the linesman an apology, Williams replied: "An apology for? From me?"




Asked to further explain, she said: "Well, how many people yell at linespeople? . . . Players, athletes get frustrated. I don't know how many times I've seen that happen."

source :newsday.com