Osaka claims U.S. Open title after Serena meltdown

[rooster59]

Osaka claims U.S. Open title after Serena meltdown

By Steve Keating

 

Sept 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka of Japan kisses the U.S. Open trophy after beating Serena Williams of the USA in the women’s final on day thirteen of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Naomi Osaka became Japan's first ever Grand Slam champion after she thumped Serena Williams 6-2 6-4 in a controversial U.S. Open final on Saturday, with the American suffering a meltdown after she was handed a code violation for on-court coaching.

 

With Osaka in control of the match after taking the first set, Portuguese chair umpire Carlos Ramos sent Williams into a rage when he handed the 23-time Grand Slam champion a code violation in the second game of the second set after he spotted Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou making some hand signals from the player's box.

 

A string of bad behaviour followed from Williams and she went on to incur a point penalty for smashing her racket before being slapped with a game penalty at 4-3 down after she launched into a verbal attack against Ramos, accusing him of being "a liar" and "a thief for stealing a point from me".

 

The game penalty put Osaka 5-3 up and the 20-year-old Japanese kept her cool to pull off a historic win.

 

That coaching warning ignited the first outburst from Williams, who screamed at Ramos that she was a mother and would never cheat, adding that she would rather lose.

 

Order seemed to be restored when Williams finally broke Osaka for the first time to go up 3-1 but things quickly slid out of control when the Japanese 20th seed broke back, prompting the former world number one to smash her racket and Ramos to issue the point penalty.

 

That brought another tirade from Williams which was followed by a game penalty, bringing a shower of jeers from the packed stadium and another explosive outburst from the teary American.

 

Later Mouratoglou admitted he had been trying to coach Williams from the stands with some hand signals but accused Osaka's coach Sascha Bajin of doing the same.

 

“I am honest. I was coaching," said Mouratoglou. "I don't think she looked one time.

"Sascha was coaching every point too."

 

The controversial finish cast a cloud over what should have been Osaka's shining moment.

 

Standing on the podium waiting to be handed her trophy and a winner's cheque for $3.8 million, Osaka heard only boos as an angry crowd took out their frustration on Ramos, who stood to the side.

 

“I know everyone was cheering for her and I’m sorry it had to end like this,” said Osaka. "I just want to say thank you for watching the match."

 

“It was always my dream to play Serena in the U.S. Open finals… I’m really grateful I was able to play with you."

 

The result prevented Williams from winning a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-09

[trainman34014]

Poor little rich girl who should have retired awhile back having tantrums because she's not as good as she thinks she is any longer.   Go home, cook dinner for your Husband and look after your Baby !

[DoctorG]

The crowd was disgraceful.

[newatthis]

6 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

The crowd was disgraceful.

Absolutely correct. Serena Williams behaved like a spoiled brat and got penalized. 

Naomi Osaka did nothing wrong.

Is this the true American character being displayed?

[alien365]

As her coach admitted he was coaching I await an apology from Serena to the umpire for doing his job. She could have still won the match at that point but she chose to be a diva rather than an athlete. I can understand her getting upset but shouting at the umpire and losing your rag has never got anyone anywhere.

[Thingamabob]

Williams may be a world champion but she's a repulsive human being. Always has been, always will be. Shameful.

[Mansell]

Not the first time she has gone off on an official at the US Open. She verbally attacked a line judge for calling foot faults on her a few years ago. Apologized and was fine $175,000. 

1) Coaching isn't allowed in Grand Slams.....regardless of stating everybody does it, it isn't allowed and she was warned accordingly.

2) Smashing your racket in a fit of pique is a point penalty......and that is what she got.

3) Verbally abusing the umpire is one game penalty......and that is what she got.

Now she is claiming sexism by the umpire.....if that doesn't fly how about racism. Bloody nonsense.

She should be seriously fined and given a suspension for three months. Always found her sister Venus to have more class and more like ability. But that's just me. Congratulations to the young Japanese woman for a dream tournament and a deserved win. Sad it was overshadowed by Serena's temper tantrum.

[fvw53]

 

Naomi Osaka has double nationality :  USA and Japanese ....but she is more American than Japanese

Her father Leonard Francois originated from Haiti and her mother was Japanese

Normally Naomi should have obtained the nationality of her father Leonard Francois but we do not know what was (or is) his nationality.

Naomi is born in Japan and for reasons we do not need to know she was given the family name of her mother. Then the family moved to the USA when Naomi was 3 years old where they have lived since then without interruption....which explains she could acquire also the US nationality.

Naomi speaks some Japanese the same limited way as Tiger Woods speaks Thai

Except that Naomi became a member of the Japanese tennis federation (better access to funding) I still do not understand how she can be considered as a "Japanese" player...In my opinion she is foremost a great American tennis player

[JimmyJ]

I watched one of Osaka's early matches and her cool matter of fact play and extreme skill were really impressive.

Haven' t followed tennis for years but wanted to watch the final, then decided not to set the alarm.

Wish I had after reading about it.

 

Statwise for the entire match Osaka beat Williams in all but 2 categories.

 

Since Osaka was ahead when Williams got the game penalty it's safe to assume the stats had Osaka likewise ahead.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2018 by JimmyJ

[JimmyJ]

The market had Williams ~ a 2-1 fave.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

6 hours ago, alien365 said:

As her coach admitted he was coaching I await an apology from Serena to the umpire for doing his job. She could have still won the match at that point but she chose to be a diva rather than an athlete. I can understand her getting upset but shouting at the umpire and losing your rag has never got anyone anywhere.

Quite right.  Ask John McEnroe.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

3 hours ago, Mansell said:

Not the first time she has gone off on an official at the US Open. She verbally attacked a line judge for calling foot faults on her a few years ago. Apologized and was fine $175,000. 

1) Coaching isn't allowed in Grand Slams.....regardless of stating everybody does it, it isn't allowed and she was warned accordingly.

2) Smashing your racket in a fit of pique is a point penalty......and that is what she got.

3) Verbally abusing the umpire is one game penalty......and that is what she got.

Now she is claiming sexism by the umpire.....if that doesn't fly how about racism. Bloody nonsense.

She should be seriously fined and given a suspension for three months. Always found her sister Venus to have more class and more like ability. But that's just me. Congratulations to the young Japanese woman for a dream tournament and a deserved win. Sad it was overshadowed by Serena's temper tantrum.

I agree with every word.  Well said!

[JimmyJ]

Williams' coach will probably end up fired for being honest and admitting he was coaching, which made Williams a liar for stating she wasn't being coached.

 

I'm sure he had to sign an NDA so she doesn't have to worry about him after he's gone.

 

Her drama was a win/win for her.

 

It's  either "Williams comes back and wins despite ..." or "Williams would have come back if not for that referee".

 

I do give her a lot of respect for standing with Kaepernick and Reid earlier at the Open.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2018 by JimmyJ

[JimmyTheMook]

Will be a breath of fresh air once Serena is off and away from the tennis circuit.

Horrible display of entitlement in what hopefully was her last round.

[JimmyJ]

Some of the commentators pointed out that she could have gotten warnings ("The next time you speak to me like that you will lose a game" rather than "Williams penalty - minus 1 game").

 

In all sports refs are reluctant in a final for them to decide the game ( or appear to).

 

But in this case Williams lost the 1st set 2-6 in 34 minutes - a bit over 4 minutes per game.

 

Osaka had her right from the start, long before the ref got involved.

 

[rodney earl]

The sooner Williams retires the better the womens circuit will be. After she verbally abused that linesperson I have never watched her play again and never will. I am so glad that she lost.!!!

[GOLDBUGGY]

20 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Poor little rich girl who should have retired awhile back having tantrums because she's not as good as she thinks she is any longer.   Go home, cook dinner for your Husband and look after your Baby !

If My Wife was out trying to bring home a $3.8 Million Dollar Cheque for us, I would gladly clean house, cook the dinner, do the dishes, and look after the Baby while she was away. Or at least for that day anyway. I bet second place aint that bad either, 

[JimmyJ]

1 hour ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

If My Wife was out trying to bring home a $3.8 Million Dollar Cheque for us, I would gladly clean house, cook the dinner, do the dishes, and look after the Baby while she was away. Or at least for that day anyway. I bet second place aint that bad either, 

1.85 million USD for 2nd.

 

Minus a brutal 17k fine she's been assessed for her behavior.

 

[Mansell]

Also saw a silly uninformed woman reporter, supposedly a sports person commenting on CNN about Serena and how it was sexism. She then stated that Connors, Nastase, and McEnroe all used to be abusive to the umpires and nothing was done.

First of all that was decades ago, and secondly she is completely wrong when it came to McEnroe. He pulled one of his rants at one of the Australian Opens and he was thrown out of the tournament....not exactly nothing done. And he agreed with it and said it should have been done years before. Of course back in the day it attracted a lot of fans to the game.

And then Serena at her press conference after the game had the gall to claim she was standing up for women's rights.....what a bloody crock.

Everything that was done to her was deserved.....end of story. If you let one player be abusive to the umpire and you will open an avalanche of abuse. A bit tough hitting her with a game penalty, but she wouldn't let it go constantly harassing the umpire. I loved her line when the coaching penalty was applied,  "I am a mother. I wouldn't cheat." What a hilarious comment. I must try that on the police next time I am stopped. "I am a father. I would never speed.....or I would never steal....or I would never cut off a person's head.....or I would never 'fill in the blank'.

[GOLDBUGGY]

20 hours ago, Mansell said:

Also saw a silly uninformed woman reporter, supposedly a sports person commenting on CNN about Serena and how it was sexism. She then stated that Connors, Nastase, and McEnroe all used to be abusive to the umpires and nothing was done.

First of all that was decades ago, and secondly she is completely wrong when it came to McEnroe. He pulled one of his rants at one of the Australian Opens and he was thrown out of the tournament....not exactly nothing done. And he agreed with it and said it should have been done years before. Of course back in the day it attracted a lot of fans to the game.

And then Serena at her press conference after the game had the gall to claim she was standing up for women's rights.....what a bloody crock.

Everything that was done to her was deserved.....end of story. If you let one player be abusive to the umpire and you will open an avalanche of abuse. A bit tough hitting her with a game penalty, but she wouldn't let it go constantly harassing the umpire. I loved her line when the coaching penalty was applied,  "I am a mother. I wouldn't cheat." What a hilarious comment. I must try that on the police next time I am stopped. "I am a father. I would never speed.....or I would never steal....or I would never cut off a person's head.....or I would never 'fill in the blank'.

True you need to respect the Umpire. Look what happens to a Coach if he gets carried away with shouting and being angry at an Umpire in Baseball. But having said that, it is understandable why an Umpire can get yelled at as well. Since an Umpire can make or break an important game in Tennis by makng the wrong calls.

 

In reality, the Player on the Court can probably see the play better from being on the Court, than an Umpire perched high up in his chair. So when a play is so close and difficult to tell from the naked eye, and Umpire is liable to be wrong as about as often as the Player is. Which obviously can cause tempers to flare. 

 

In Ice Hockey you used to have as many Coaches thrown out of the Game for arguing with the Referee, as you did in Baseball. Maybe even more. But under new rules the Referee, apon the request from a Coach, can now review an important play, like a Goal, on Video Tape first before he makes the final call.

 

This has eliminated a lot of these hard feelings by not making the wrong call on game changing plays, although calling a Penalty that wasn't deseved still creates some bad feelings. But it is certainy better now and more fairer than before. Not sure what you can do in Tennis as you pretty well can't stop the play in progress or call the play back, once this has happened. 

[GOLDBUGGY]

On 9/10/2018 at 10:09 AM, JimmyJ said:

1.85 million USD for 2nd.

 

Minus a brutal 17k fine she's been assessed for her behavior.

 

I would just take this 17K Fine out of her Monthly Allowance. (Ha!Ha!Ha!) 

[owl sees all]

37 minutes ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

I would just take this 17K Fine out of her Monthly Allowance. (Ha!Ha!Ha!) 

Well I think they are both lovely bits of stuff. The Japanesee girl has the edge in the desirability stakes for me though; just.

[rodney earl]

Her coach admitted to coaching her from the sidelines but wait a minute. I am a mother I would like lie. ha ha. What a stupid thing to say. She has done this sort of thing before and will probably do it again, given the chance, which is why I never watch her play and the sooner she is not playing anymore the better the game of womens tennis will be.!!

[JimmyJ]

"Are Women Penalized More Than Men in Tennis? Data Says No"

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/sports/tennis-fines-men-women.html#click=https://t.co/p7uh5HkRQo

[JimmyJ]

Martina Navratilova:

"What Serena Got Wrong"

 

"Just because the guys might be able to get away with it doesn’t mean it’s acceptable."

 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/opinion/martina-navratilova-serena-williams-us-open.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Edited September 15, 2018 by JimmyJ

[newatthis]

10 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

Martina Navratilova:

"What Serena Got Wrong"

 

"Just because the guys might be able to get away with it doesn’t mean it’s acceptable."

 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/opinion/martina-navratilova-serena-williams-us-open.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Yes, it was a great article. Unfortunately, there will be many who believe that racism/sexism were the cause of this incident.