Serena Fined

Serena Williams was fined $2,000 by the US Open on Monday for berating the chair umpire during the final.

Tournament referee Brian Earley issued his ruling a day after Williams was cited by chair umpire Eva Asderaki for a code violation for verbal abuse during a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Sam Stosur in the women’s singles championship match at Flushing Meadows.

A statement issued by the U.S. Tennis Association said the fine ”is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events.”

Williams earned $1.4 million at the US Open: $900,000 for finishing as the runner-up, plus a $500,000 bonus for having come in first place in the US Open Series standings, which take into account results at hard-court tuneup tournaments.

The USTA also said Grand Slam committee director Bill Babcock conducted his own review and determined ”Williams’ conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct.”

That means Williams does not face further disciplinary action – which could have included a fine and suspension from a Grand Slam tournament – under the ”probationary period” she was put under after yelling at and threatening a line judge after a foot-fault call at the end of her loss to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 US Open semifinals.

US Open out to get Serena???!!

Serena Williams was….

Down a set and facing a break point in the first game of the second, the 13-time major champion hit a forehand and shouted, ”Come on!” as Samantha Stosur reached down for a backhand. Chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled that Williams hindered Stosur’s ability to complete the point and awarded it to Stosur — putting her ahead 1-0 in that set…

Williams went over to talk to Asderaki, saying, ”I’m not giving her that game.”

Williams also said: ”I promise you, that’s not cool. That’s totally not cool.”

Some fans began booing, delaying the start of the next game as both players waited for the commotion to subside.

Tournament director Brian Earley said Asderaki’s ruling was proper.

But Williams had trouble putting the whole episode behind her.

During the changeover two games later, Williams continued to talk to Asderaki, saying, ”You’re out of control. … You’re a hater, and you’re just unattractive inside. … And I never complain. Wow.”…..

Williams also told the official: ”Really, don’t even look at me.”

When Stosur wrapped up the match with a forehand winner, Williams refused the customary post-match handshake with the chair umpire.

”I hit a winner, but I guess it didn’t count,” Williams said during the trophy presentation. ”It wouldn’t have mattered in the end. Sam played really well.”

This sort of thing has happened before at the US Open to Williams, who won the tournament in 1999, 2002 and 2008.

In the 2009 semifinals against Kim Clijsters, Williams was called for a foot-fault that set her off on a profanity-laced outburst at a line judge. Williams lost a point there, and because it came on match point, Clijsters won. That led to an immediate $10,000 fine from the U.S. Tennis Association and later a record $82,500 fine from the Grand Slam administrator, who also put Williams on a ”probationary period” at Grand Slam tournaments in 2010 and 2011.

A poor call during Williams’ 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati was cited as a main reason for the introduction of replay technology in tennis.

Donald Young still in the Draw at US Open!

 

John McEnroe ruined Donald Young. Young’s parents ruined Donald Young. His own bad, lazy attitude ruined him. His agent, IMG? Ruined him. The media: Ruined him. The U.S. Tennis Associatio ruined Donald Young ….Young has been a study in all the different way to screw up an American tennis phenom. He was supposed to be tennis’ Tiger Woods. By 2007, The New York Times dubbed him a failure with a story in its Sunday magazine entitled: “Prodigy’s End.”

He was 17 at the time.

But the last, last, last straw didn’t come until this spring, when things dropped so far that Young wrote on his Twitter account: “F— USTA” and they’re “full of s—.” Only he didn’t use dashes.

So it’s a little hard to figure out how Young, now 22, is the story of this year’s US Open, after Serena Williams that is. He has beaten two seeded players to reach the fourth round, the final 16. He beat Stan Wawrinka in a classic fifth-set tiebreaker, tennis’ ultimate test of mind, body and guts. Tuesday, he’s scheduled to play No. 4 Andy Murray for a spot in the quarterfinals.

“Everybody’s light comes on at their own time,” Young said. “Hopefully, mine is coming on now.”…Young, Ryan Harrison and several young US women who reached the third round of the Open have made this quite a tournament for US tennis….Usually by the second week, Serena Williams is the only American left, Tuesday is America Day at the Open, with not only Young playing but also John Isner and Andy Roddick.

 

Click here for Donald Young BIO

US Open

 

WOMEN TO WATCH

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI

The Daily’s odds: 15-1

Why she’ll win:

She made it to the Open final in 2009 against Clijsters. With the Belgian out of the tournament because of an injury, there’s nothing stopping Wozniacki from winning as the No. 1 seed.

Why she won’t:

She has been upset in her first match in two of her past three tournaments, and the press will continue to focus on her relationship with golfer Rory McIlroy. That’s one distraction too many.

VERA ZVONAREVA

The Daily’s odds:

13-1

Why she’ll win:

The second-best woman in the world was the runner-up in last year’s Wimbledon and US Open. With her maturity and improved consistency, she’ll finally put herself over the top.

Why she won’t:

The ghosts of 2009, in which she had a tearful breakdown at Arthur Ashe Stadium during a match may come back to haunt her.

MARIA SHARAPOVA

The Daily’s odds:

4-1

Why she’ll win:

She continues an impressive year — she has made it to four tournament finals and has won two titles, including the recent Western & Southern Open — by breezing through the competition for her second US Open trophy.

Why she won’t:

Serena Williams will stop her, should they meet. Sharapova has lost her past six matches against her, including a quarterfinal match in Stanford.

PETRA KVITOVA

The Daily’s odds:

20-1

Why she’ll win:

She will prove her Wimbledon victory over Sharapova wasn’t just a fluke and surprise the field with another amazing run.

Why she won’t:

Wimbledon really wasa fluke and she bows out in the early rounds.

SERENA WILLIAMS

The Daily’s odds:

6-1

Why she’ll win:

She will put together an incredible run fueled by her anger toward her low seeding and by love from the New York crowd. It’s the perfect comeback story.

Why she won’t:

Her injured toe that shut her down at the Western & Southern Open will flare up again, or she will be exhausted from a heavy schedule

 

MENS TO WATCH

CLICK HERE

 

T.G.I.F…LeBrons love for the Buckeyes/U.S.Open Brawl

 

LeBron James didn’t change all his teams this summer…..James posted on his Twitter feed Thursday that he’s considering going to Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 11 to see the matchup between No. 2 Ohio State, his longtime team of choice, and No. 13 Miami.

And no, the former Cleveland Cavaliers star isn’t rooting for the Hurricanes. The NBA’s two-time reigning MVP wrote, ”O-State will prevail for sure. Will be exciting!”

Miami and Ohio State both opened their season with wins Thursday night. The Hurricanes beat Florida A&M 45-0, while the Buckeyes topped Marshall 45-7.

James worked out with the Hurricanes’ basketball team twice last week. He has an invitation to join Miami for any of its football games this season, and at least two Hurricanes, Jacory Harris and Damien Berry, sent James a note on Twitter asking him to attend the home opener.

”He’s down in Dade County now,” Berry said Thursday night. ”We’re going to try to change his mind and make him a Hurricanes fan.”

 

 

 

Was Serena Robbed ???

Serena  Williams was fined $10,000 for her behavior in Saturday nights US Open Tennis Semi-Final, she was called for a foot-fault??….and it cost her the match…..Two points from losing in the second set, Williams faulted at 5-6, 15-30. On her second serve , the line judge called a foot fault, making it 15-40 and giving Clijsters a match point. Williams began yelling at the line judge and a penalty point was awarded to Clijsters; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the match!!??

 

“Last night, everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly,”

—- Serena Williams

 

 

 

I’m not a Playa… I just Crush Alot..!!?

The US Open continues on and so does Serena Williams….she crushed….(does it really matter who they are)…..all you need to know is that Friday Serena plays Kim Clijster….there are 2 main stories on the women’s side Clijsters because she just had a baby and she was retired for awhile….now she’s back and she’s playing well…..good for her…but I’m sorry Serena is going to crush you…..the other story is the 17 year old American girl by the name of Melanie Oudin from Marietta ,GA she is on a hot streak she has knocked off #29 Maria Sharapova, #13 Nadia Patrova, & #4 Elena Dementieva, all in come back fashion…..if she makes it far enough.. …you know the drill…..I’m sorry Serena will crush you too…..

GAME-TIME!!!

Venus survives

Venus Williams survived a close call yesterday at the U.S. Open….she fought off 47th ranked Vera Dushevina of Russia  6-7,(5),7-5,6-3…..Venus is now 44-3 all time in first round openers in Grand Slam events….she is currently 10-0 in the first round a the U.S. Open.

 

Williams Sister U.S. Open??

The seeding for the US Open has been set Venus & Serena Williams are seeded in opposite draws….Serena is the #2 seed, and Venus is #3…..Dinara Safina is the #1 seed, even though she is 0-3 in Grand Slam Finals……for the men no surprise that Roger Federer is the #1 seed , the US Open starts next  Monday morning.