Former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland is still cheering on Serena Williams after witnessing the tennis ace's U.S. Open final meltdown courtside.
The singer was at the New York match supporting her pal earlier this month (Sep18), when Serena lost her cool and verbally attacked chair umpire Carlos Ramos after he accused her of cheating and stealing signals from her coach in the stands.
The pair's war of words disrupted Serena's final set against Naomi Osaka for 15 minutes, as she raged at the umpire and called out the sexism in the sport, and he deducted a point and then a game from the tennis star.
Kelly responded quickly to the headline-grabbing drama, writing on Twitter: "SERENA!!! CLASS ACT!! ALWAYS A CHAMPION!!!! I (LOVE) YOU!!! WE ALL (LOVE) YOU!!!"
And she's still supporting her pal, insisting the tennis ace is a heroine.
"One of the things I love the most about Serena Williams is how gracious she is (and) how much class she always shows...," she tells Access Live. "We were just heated (in Serena's courtside box). We were really upset... We support each other and lift each other up... That little umpire... Grrr!
"We were all thinking the same thing - what is going on - no one's ever seen a whole game taken away (from a player) and I couldn't help but think, 'You know what, she has so much incredible passion and power, I think it actually intimated this guy...' I think he had to have this moment where he had to take something away from a woman and get his power back. That's my opinion... I love the way she handled herself. I couldn't imagine how I would handle myself."
Meanwhile, Kelly insists that away from the courts, Serena is a great mum to daughter Alexis: "We swap advice," the singer explains. "She is the best mother... She's (Serena) teaching her (Alexis) to be a winner."
