Chair umpire out after bogus point

Friday, June 25, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

WIMBLEDON, England -- The chair umpire who awarded an extra point to Venus Williams' opponent during her second-round loss at Wimbledon won't work another match during the tournament.

"I have now discussed the incident with the chair umpire concerned, and we have agreed it will be in the best interests of both parties if he takes no further part in the event," tournament referee Alan Mills said today.

The umpire's office wouldn't comment.

Ted Watts of Britain mistakenly gave Karolina Sprem a point she didn't earn in the final tiebreaker of Thursday's 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) upset of Williams, the 2000-01 Wimbledon champion.

The error made it 2-2 in the tiebreaker. Williams then built a 6-3 edge, but she lost the next five points for her earliest loss at the All England Club since her 1997 debut.

"I'd like to think he didn't do it on purpose," Williams said. "I don't think one call makes a match."

She led the tiebreaker 2-1 when Sprem hit a first serve ruled wide by the line judge, who put her arm out and shouted, "Fault!" Williams casually hit the ball over the net, and Sprem smacked a backhand into the open court. Williams stood still at the baseline, figuring it was time for a second serve.

But Watts announced the score as 2-2, the sort of mistake that occurs every so often but generally is noticed right away by one of the players or another on-court official.

With the players apparently unaware Sprem received a point she shouldn't have, they lined up again in the same positions for what both thought was a second serve. Indeed, Sprem put a safe 86 mph offering in, and Williams laced a backhand return winner. That should have made it 3-1 for Williams, but Watts called it 3-2.

"Unfortunately, the way it happened, Venus didn't query it at the time," Mills said. "They played point after point afterward, and the result, I'm afraid, stands as is."

Play resumed today with the schedule still backed up because of rainouts earlier in the week.

French Open runner-up and No. 3 seed Guillermo Coria exited Wimbledon after losing in four sets to unseeded German Florian Mayer. No. 2 seed Andy Roddick and top women's seed Serena Williams won their second-round matches.

Coria, a 22-year-old from Argentina ranked third in the world, won the first set before going down 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Both players hit seven aces and Coria won just 35 percent of his second serves. He double-faulted eight times to Mayer's two.

Williams, seeking a third consecutive tournament win at London's All England Lawn Tennis Club, beat Stephanie Foretz 6-0, 6-4 to make it at least a round further than her sister, No. 3 seed Venus. Serena was a break down in the second set.

Roddick defeated Austrian Alexander Peya 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6- 4. The U.S. Open champion, Roddick reached the final four at the only grass-court Grand Slam event last year. He served 13 aces, nine more than his opponent. His fastest serve was 144 miles-an-hour.

Romanian Andrei Pavel, seeded No. 22, lost to unseeded Kenneth Carlsen 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 6-3. Pavel is ranked 21 in the world, 82 places higher than his Danish opponent.

Wayne Ferreira, who is playing a record 55th consecutive grand slam event since playing the Australian Open in 1991, won in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-1 against Karol Kucera.

In other matches, Englishman Tim Henman was leading Switzerland's Ivo Heuberger by two sets.