There was some controversy in Sunday’s US Open Women’s Final in NY, when Greek chair umpire, Evanthia (Eva) Asderaki, 29, made a controversial call that led to an outburst by a player who was ultimately fined. No rookie, Asderaki is one of only three women to hold a Gold certification from the International Tennis Federation.
Asderaki reversed a call, taking a point from American Serena Williams, and assigning it to her Australian opponent, Samantha Stosur. Apparently, she cited the intentional hindrance rule, when Williams shouted out during a point. The umpire ruled that the outburst was “voluntary” and “may have distracted” Stosur. Williams challenged the decision, and made some disparaging comments to Asderaki throughout the match. Those remarks were inadvertently picked up by television cameras. Further, at the end of the match, Williams refused to shake Asderaki’s hand, per custom. The umpire was later defended by a referee, saying she called the incident correctly. Thought Willams was already on probation for a similar outburst in 2009, she was fined $2000 but not banned. Stosur won the match and the tournament.
As a Gold certified umpire, she officiates at all four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) as well as at Davis Cup, the Kremlin Cup, the Rome tournaments and more. She also umpired in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also serves at other major tournaments and in Women’s Tennis Association tournaments.
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