NEW YORK

Serena Williams’ behavior in last Saturday’s U.S. Open final divided the tennis world after she called the chair umpire a “liar” and a “thief” and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to 20-year-old Naomi Osaka.

Osaka, the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, became Japan’s first Grand Slam singles champion by thumping Serena 6-2, 6-4 in the controversial final in which Serena challenged the umpire after being given a code violation.

It was drama-filled conclusion to a match rich with storylines that will go down as one of the most controversial Grand Slam finals of all time.

There was much riding on the outcome for both players, with Osaka bidding to become the first man or woman from Japan to lift a Grand Slam singles title and Serena trying to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles.

In the end, it was Osaka making history but on a day of bizarre events her victory will only be a footnote to what is sure to go down as one of the most infamous matches ever played at Flushing Meadows.

Serena was handed a warning for a coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racquet.

She then had a heated argument with Portuguese chair umpire Carlos Ramos, which cost her a game.

The six-time U.S. Open champion, who has since been fined $17,000 — to be deducted from her $1.83 million prize — by the United States Tennis Association for the violations, vigorously disputed each during the match.

The chaotic finish, filled with screaming, tears and jeers, cast a cloud over what should have been Osaka’s shining moment.

Standing on the podium waiting to be handed her trophy and a winner’s check for $3.8 million, Osaka heard only boos as an angry crowd took out their frustration on Ramos, who stood to the side.

Serena hugged and congratulated Osaka. She said at a later news conference that she didn’t want the incident to take away from Osaka’s victory.

“She played an amazing match,” Serena said of Osaka. “She deserved credit, she deserved to win. At the end of the day, that’s what it was.”

Serena also said she will continue to fight against what she called “sexism” in the game.

“I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things,” she said. “I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. For me to say ‘thief’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief.’ For me, it blows my mind.”

Serena said while it may not help her, she will help fight for equal treatment for women in the game so it will help players in the future.

There were messages of support for Serena, as well as those condemning her behavior and agreeing with the umpire’s calls.

Tennis great Billie Jean King wrote on Twitter: “When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.”

Yet Australian Margaret Court had little sympathy for the 36-year-old American former world No. 1.

“We always had to go by the rules,” said Court, according to a report in The Australian. Court dominated tennis during the 1960s and early 1970s.

“It’s sad for the sport when a player tries to become bigger than the rules. Because the young player outplayed her in the first set, I think pressure got her more than anything,” Court said.

The drama started when Ramos handed Serena a coaching violation early in the second set because of hand gestures made from the stands by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He later admitted to coaching, which is an offense in the sport, though one rarely called.

When the violation was announced, Serena approached Ramos to say she never takes coaching and would rather lose than “cheat to win.”

Things seemed to settle down as Serena went on to break Osaka for a 3-1 lead, but she gave the break right back in the next game with a pair of double faults, prompting the former champion to smash her racquet on the court.

That resulted in a second violation, meaning Osaka was awarded the first point of the sixth game.

Serena, who was under the impression the first violation had been rescinded, returned to Ramos to seek an apology for saying she had received coaching earlier.

During a changeover, Serena resumed her argument with the umpire, this time saying he was attacking her character and was a “thief.” That triggered a third violation, which resulted in a game penalty that gave Osaka a 5-3 lead.