Saturday, February 7, 2009

The $2,000 digit

Flavia Pennetta was fined $2,000 today for making what many cultures consider an obscene gesture toward the umpire in Pennetta's match against Amelie Mauresmo. Pennetta thought she had won the second set tiebreak, but the umpire, Louise Engzell, overruled the call, and Pennetta had to keep playing in order to win the tiebreak.

"It has never happened to me in my career, lost my cool," was Pennetta's comment after the match.

Mauresmo is reported to have observed that Pennetta also verbally insulted the umpire, and that she should have been removed from the match when she made the offensive gesture. Some reports state that Pennetta was given a warning for the verbal abuse, and may have been at risk of losing the match after she made the gesture.

At any rate, Pennetta is still playing in Fed Cup, and will next face Alize Cornet.

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