"Old Serena Williams would've beaten the sh*t out of that line judge" - Tennis fans call the icon's gesture during US Open R2 match a 'class act'

The US Open second-round match between Serena Williams and Anett Kontaveit witnessed a minor point of controversy during the crucial deciding set.

Just as the American legend was about to break Kontaveit in the second game to take the lead, one of the Estonian's cross-court forehands was called in, leaving Williams and the crowd stunned since it looked like the ball landed out. Replays showed that the ball was in by the closest of margins.

More than 23,000 fans who were rooting for the home player, started to boo the 26-year-old second seed. At this point, Williams stepped in as she put her finger up to signal to the crowd to stop booing, and the crowd immediately responded.

The 40-year-old won the game, the set, and the match, beating Kontaveit 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 in their first-ever meeting.

Even before the match ended, fans from around the world started praising Williams for standing up for her opponent when she felt that the crowd wrongly booed the World No. 2.

"Serena Williams just told a crowd to quiet down and respect her opponent. It would have been nice if someone had done that for her once in her 25-year career," a fan tweeted.

"@Serenawilliams is a CLASS ACT for this! I cannot stand when fans boo calls or react like this to calls when they are accurate and follow the rules! Grow up people, respect all the competitors and officials," a user wrote.

"It’s one thing to be a great athlete, but to also be a great sportsman. Serena Williams just wagged her finger at the crowd, admonishing them not to cheer her opponents errors. In a tense, deadlocked match, that is a really great show sportsmanship," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

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"It's just pretty awesome, the things that I've done" - Serena Williams

Serena Williams during her match on Wednesday

Serena Williams' hunt for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title continues as she has reached the third round of the 2022 US Open. Her next opponent is Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic, who has never faced Williams on the WTA tour before.

The six-time US Open winner was relieved after defeating Anett Kontaveit. In a press conference after the match, she expressed her satisfaction with the way she played on Wednesday, saying that she finally saw her practice coming into her matches.

"It's just pretty awesome the things that I've done," Williams said. "I never think about it. Yeah, so tonight I was just like, 'Serena, you've already won, just play, be Serena. You're better than this'. I'm just pleased I showed up because the last few tournaments I didn't show up. But, like I said, I've been practicing really well and I'm pleased that I'm finally seeing my practice come into my matches, so that's nice."

Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule