Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko had a fiery exchange after their US Open second-round clash on Wednesday, which Townsend won 7-5, 6-1. What should have been a routine handshake at the net turned into a heated back-and-forth, with Ostapenko gesturing angrily while Townsend motioned to the crowd, who quickly rallied behind the American on Court 11.

Ostapenko later protested regarding how Townsend conducted herself during the match. “I told her it was disrespectful,” the Latvian said.

“There was a point where she hit a net cord winner and never apologised. When I mentioned it, she told me she didn’t need to. In tennis, there are certain traditions and courtesies most players respect, and this is the first time I’ve encountered someone ignoring them. Playing in front of her home fans doesn’t give her the right to ignore the norms of the sport.”

What were Ostapenko’s remarks?

“Normally players start from the baseline,” Ostapenko explained. “Instead, she came out hitting volleys at the net. That isn’t how it’s supposed to be done, and to me it was disrespectful right from the start.”

Townsend countered by saying Ostapenko’s reaction went beyond a normal post-match disagreement. “At the net she told me I have no class, no education, and that I should wait until I leave the US to see what happens,” Townsend claimed.

“I’ve beaten her before outside the States, like in Canada, so we’ll see how she handles that. Honestly, I think she’s just upset she lost.”

Currently ranked outside the top 100 in singles but sitting at world No. 1 in doubles, Townsend added that she was not interested in dwelling on off-court drama.

“It’s competition,” she said. “People don’t always handle losing well. I am just focused on the next round.”

When asked about whether Ostapenko’s comments carried racial remarks, Townsend declined to draw conclusions. “That is for her to answer,” she said.

“I did not personally interpret it that way, but calling someone uneducated can hit differently in the Black community, because there’s already a stereotype tied to that. Whether she meant it in that context or not is up to her to clarify. My priority is moving forward in this event.”

Ostapenko later addressed the backlash on social media, strongly rejecting suggestions that her words had any racist intent. “I have never been racist in my life,” she wrote.

“I respect all people equally, regardless of background.” She also noted the flood of messages accusing her and insisted those claims were false.

This is not the first time the 2017 French Open champion has been at the center of controversy. At Wimbledon in 2021, she had a public spat with Ajla Tomljanovic, who accused her of exaggerating an injury to gain extra time.

Ostapenko retaliated by calling Tomljanovic “the worst player on tour”. Townsend now moves on to face No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in the third round.

‘This just screams racism’

Netizens stated their opinion on the argument. A user noted, “I don’t often jump to conclusions but this just screams racism. Absolutely horrible to see and hear. Hopefully something is done against the disgrace that is Ostapenko.”

Another wrote, “Didn’t like either player’s reaction. Don’t know why TT couldn’t simply say I meant no disrespect. Instead she showed Ostapenko up. TT already won. No need to do that. Still, small potatoes. Move on.”

“As rude and bordering on racist as it was i think jelena about the no education thing lololol,” added a netizen. “
From someone who was there…I was in the stands for the entire match. Ostapenko started losing her cool before the net cord. She wasn’t appreciating the crowd cheering & chanting Taylor’s name. She even yelled at the crowd after winning a point,” noted another.