在美國網球公開賽女單半決賽中，衛冕冠軍小威廉姆斯在被比利時選手克里斯特爾斯6：4領先一盤的情況下，在第二盤第12局的比賽因為辱罵司線判其腳誤而導致被判失分，無緣進入決賽。其實在第一盤比賽結束時，小威廉姆斯就因為摔拍而被判“違反行為準則”并獲警告，而此次辱罵行為直接導致她被罰分并最終出局。有報道說，她當時對判她腳誤的司線吼道：“我發誓，我要把這個球塞到你的喉嚨里，你聽見了嗎？我發誓！”小威在賽后表示，自己當時說的話并沒有威脅意味，那種情況下，大家都在為每一分而拼命，她還表示不后悔當時的言行舉動。

Serena Williams argues a call by the line judge which led to her disqualification.

Kim Clijsters moved into the US Open women's singles final in controversial circumstances as the defending champion Serena Williams picked up a point penalty for a second code violation on match point.

Williams was a set and 6-5 down when she foot-faulted on a second serve to hand Clijsters match point. Replays indicated the call had been a harsh one and an incensed Williams unleashed a verbal tirade and waved her racket at theline judge. "I swear to God I'm ... going to take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat, you hear that? I swear to God," Williams was reported to have said. After the line judge reported her to the umpire for verbal abuse, Williams added: "I never said I would kill you, are you serious?"

Williams had picked up a first code violation for smashing her racket at the end of the first set and this time the tournament referee, Brian Earley, was called to the chair. After discussing the situation with Williams, the line judge and umpire, Williams was handed a second code violation, the resultant point penalty handing victory to a bemused Clijsters, 6-4 7-5.

"I said something that I guess they gave me a point penalty. Unfortunately it was on match point," Williams said after the match. "I didn't threaten. I was in the moment and everyone's fighting for every point."

As for the call that sparked her tirade, Williams said: "I've never been foot-faulted [all year] and then suddenly in this tournament they keep calling foot faults. I'm not going to sit here and make an excuse. If I foot-fault, I did. It is what it is and that's basically all it was."

Williams, though, said she did not regret losing her temper. "I haven't really thought about it to have any regrets. I try not to live my life saying, 'I wish, I wish', but I was out there and I fought and I tried and I did my best."

Clijsters, playing just her third tournament since coming out of a 27-month retirement during which time she became a mother for the first time, will now face Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-3 in the other semi-final.

For much of the match Clijsters outplayed Williams, whose usually dominant serve deserted the American. Williams also saw her second serve exploited, her unforced error count hit 31 and she had been unable to build on her breaks of serve by allowing Clijsters to break back immediately at crucial moments.

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(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

code violation:  違反行為準則

match point: 賽點。網球比賽的術語。當一個球員只需要再得一分就會獲得整個比賽的勝利時，他被稱為處在賽點。

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

foot-fault: 腳誤

line judge: 司線