Line judge who called foot fault on Serena Williams officiating US Open men’s final

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Foot fault line judge officiating US Open final

NEW YORK — The line judge who called the foot fault on Serena Williams is officiating this year’s U.S. Open men’s final.

Shino Tsurubuchi was working a service line, not the baseline, in the first set of Monday’s match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

She was working the baseline late in last year’s semifinal between Williams and Kim Clijsters when she called a foot fault on a second serve by Williams, giving Clijsters match point.

That prompted a profanity-laced, racket-brandishing, finger-pointing tirade by Williams that resulted in Clijsters being awarded a penalty point, ending the match.

In a statement before this year’s Open, tournament organizers said Tsurubuchi “is a world class official and we are confident in her abilities.”