Serena Williams: Temper Gets Best of American Tennis Star Again in US Open Final

Serena Williams lost the first set of the 2011 US Open Final by a shocking 6-2 score. It seemed like Samantha Stosur couldn't miss.

Then, Serena flipped her lid early in the second set, reminiscent of her 2009 explosion on an official. While the outburst gave her a brief boost in energy, it couldn't save her from defeat.

After Williams hit a big forehand, which she thought would easily get by Stosur for a winner, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Much like any other tennis player, “Come on!” was the choice of words.

Unlike all those previous instances, Serena's shriek caused the point to be taken away and given to Stosur.

Stosur was able to get the edge of her racket on the shot and appealed to the umpire, Eva Asderaki. Although it was clear Stosur had no chance of getting the shot back, Asderaki decided to give the point to the Australian.

That caused Williams to lose her cool.

She mistakenly thought that Asderaki was the same official who was in the chair when Williams foot-faulted and lost a match to Kim Clijsters in 2009.

After exchanging words with Asderaki during changeovers and even after several points, it seemed like the entire situation had turned the match in Williams' favor. After a few big-hitting games, though, Serena's shots started flying wide or into the net like they had in the first set, and Stosur picked up the biggest win of her career.

While the story today should be Stosur, the focus will instead be on Williams. She seemed so genuinely happy to be back playing tennis that it seemed unfathomable she would lose it on court again.

Watching the match, you could almost see the instant Williams snapped.

After discussing the situation calmly with Asderaki, presumably explaining that she should have won the point or it should be replayed as a let instead of giving Stosur a game-winning decision. Williams then went on the attack.

As great of a player as Williams is, these on-court incidents are beginning to become a problem. It's almost as if she went to the Andy Roddick School of Umpire Management. Verbal assaults on officials, while they seem right at the time, rarely look good in the long run.

The future of American tennis is a bit murky, so you can bet the USTA will do everything they can to sweep this situation under the rug and just move on. They don't want to risk losing their biggest star on a tour that lacks marquee attractions.

Whether she gets reprimanded or not, Williams needs to gain control of her emotions on the court. She should know by now that it doesn't help you win matches if you lash out at officials. It just makes you look bad.

She seemed to be trying hard to revamp her image with pleasant on-court interviews and post-match press conferences throughout the tournament.

One call, bad or not, caused all that hard work to go down the drain. Now, she'll have to do all the image rebuilding again next year.

Sometimes it's just better to suck it up and move on.