NEW YORK – U.S. Open rivals Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko faced face-to-face arguments in Game 11 after winning the second round 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday.
Townsend is an American who ranked No. 1 in doubles. Latvian’s Ostapenko won the 2017 French Open, and he told her she had “no class” and “no education”.
A reporter asked Townsend if she thought the comments were racial.
Townsend replied: “I didn’t accept it in this way, but you know, it’s a stigma in our community, that is, “not educated” and everything, when it’s the furthest fact.”
“So, whether it’s racial or not, that’s all she can say,” Townsend said. “The only thing I’m worried about right now is to keep moving forward in this game.”
Ostapenko later posted on social media about “I’m racist”.
“I have never been a racist in my life, and I respect the people of all people in the world. It doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote.
After the two players encountered a post-match handshake online, they approached each other instead of acting the usual way. Ostapenko, the No. 25 seed, shook a finger at Townsend while speaking.
“It’s competition,” Townsend said. “When they lose, people get upset.”
When they finally stopped talking, Townsend walked into the stands, placing eggs in the party crowd, waving his arms over his head, and the noise from the audience would only grow louder and louder.
She and Ostapenko face each other before singles and doubles.
“Never had any history. I don’t know how she felt about me, but I don’t have beef on this side,” Townsend said. “She told me I had no education, no courses, and see what would happen if we were playing with each other outside of the United States, and I said, ‘I’m excited. Bring it.’ I’ve never been such a person.”
Ostapenko posted what she called the “match” on social media, “it’s a small update about the game.”
Townsend did not say “sorry” after being helped by a net rope at some point.
“There are some rules in tennis that most players follow, and this is the first time I’ve been on the tour,” Ostapenko posted. “If she plays in her own home, it doesn’t mean she can act like everything she wants to do.”
Ostapenko also complained that Townsend started warming up before the game, rather than returning to baseline. Although most players do start at baseline, Townsend notes that she has been starting with volleyball for years.
Before the game, Ostapenko got into kerfuff with her opponents, including in 2021 when she lost to Wimbledon’s Alja Tomljanovic. Tomljanovic accused Ostapenko of lying and needed to leave the court for medical timeout to resolve the abdomen problem.
Townsend recently moved to the top of the WTA doubles rankings. But this is her first time since 2023 that she has entered the third round of singles in a Grand Slam Championship.
Townsend is No. 139 in singles. She is the lowest ranking of American women who beat the singles Grand Slam champion in Major since Kristie Ahn beats, guess who it is? – Ostapenko at the 2019 U.S. Open.
“What I am most proud of is getting my racket to talk. Because in the end, I’m the one sitting in front of you, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, still be able to talk to everyone here, that’s the most important thing, that’s the most important thing,” Townsend said. “She has packed up and she is gone.”
