Ln the middle of Sunday's U.S. Open final, Serena Williams lost her cool with a chair umpire, who penalized her for celebrating before a point was concluded. Williams' outburst will likely overshadow the match's surprising outcome: Australian Samantha Stosur soundly defeated Williams, winner of 13 Grand Slam titles and the heavy favorite coming into the match.
Williams was already down a set and 30-40 when she hit what appeared to be a winner to Stosur's backhand. But before the ball could reach her opponent, Williams yelled in celebration--a violation of tennis rules. Chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur, at which point Willliams lost her temper. "Are you the one who screwed me over last time?" she said. "Yeah, you are." (Williams was seemingly confusing Askeraki with a different umpire from a 2004 match against Jennifer Capriati.)So facing a break point at the start of the second set Sunday night, Williams ripped a forehand that she celebrated with her familiar yell of "Come on!'' The problem, it turned out, was she screamed as Stosur was reaching for a backhand, so the point wasn't finished. The chair umpire awarded the point to Stosur, setting Williams off on a series of insults directed at the official, a scene far less ugly than - yet reminiscent of - the American's tirade at the same tournament two years ago.Serena's lifestyle, focus and devotion to tennis have been widely questioned, but she is still standing on the baseline and hitting bombs. Despite the myriad physical setbacks, the yo-yoing in and out of the top 10, the parade of interesting friends and lovers, she continues not just to survive but also to thrive.This is not the first time Williams' temper has flared at the U.S. Open. In 2009, she famously threatened a line judge who called a foot fault on match point in a semifinal against Kim Clijsters. That explosion cost Williams the match.
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