BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Women’s World No.1 tennis player Serena Williams outclassed Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in an exhibition match at the Wildey Gymnasium on Saturday night.
Williams, slapped yesterday with a record fine for her outburst at the US Open almost three months ago, dismissed World No.4 Wozniacki 6-4 in a one-set match in front of an appreciative crowd at the spectacular event labelled “Tennis Pon De Rock”. Williams and American Jeff Tarango teamed up to play a set of doubles against Wozniacki and hometown hero Haydn Lewis on Sunday night at the Sugar Hill Spa. Lewis and Wozniacki prevailed 8-6. Tickets for the Wildey Gymnasium on Saturday night to see Williams face Wozniacki ranged from BAR$100 (US$50) to BDS$200 (US$100).
Kodi Lewis, one of the directors of event promoters Barbados Invitations Tennis Exhibition (BITE) confirmed that the event was intended to be a fundraiser, which will ultimately benefit the local tennis fraternity.
Williams, who reclaimed the No.1 ranking in women’s tennis this season, was fined a record US$82,500 for her profanity-laced outburst during the US Open in September.
The sanctions were announced yesterday by Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock after nearly three months of deliberation over how to discipline the most dominant player in women’s tennis for an ugly tirade that was captured on national television and replayed countless times on sports highlight shows and YouTube.