Serena Williams fans erupted after the U. S. Open chair empire Carlos Ramos penalized her both a point and a whole game in a dispute
Serena Williams fans erupted on Saturday after the six-time U. S. Open champion lost the final to Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 6-2,6-4, after being penalized both a point and a whole game in a dispute with chair empire Carlos Ramos.
“This is ridiculous! Serena has been robbed!” HuffPost writer Yashar Ali tweeted (then subsequently deleted).
“What hasn’t changed is the way Serena Williams had been policed and disrespected since the moment she stepped on the court as a kid decorated with beaded braids,” added actress Anika Noni Rose.
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Williams, who was barred from wearing a catsuit on court early in the tournament, broke down in tears in the second set as Ramos issued a series of code violations — beginning with a warning when her coach Patrick Mouratoglou signaled to her from his place in the stands, a mid-match coaching that is a violation of the rules (though seldom called by officials).
A second violation for her confrontation with Ramos led to the loss of a point. But she was docked an entire game when she confronted Ramos a second time: “You stole a point from me. You’re a thief too.”
That set the stage for Osaka, a 20-year-old who played brilliantly throughout the tournament, to serve out the second set for her first Grand Slam win.
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Although Williams refused to shake Ramos’ hand after the match, she graciously congratulated Osaka, the daughter of a Japanese mother and Haitian father who has trained for years in Florida — and discouraged fans from booing during the awards ceremony.
Fans, however, were quick to cry foul for the way the match ended.
