U.S. Open opponents Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into a face-to-face argument on the Court 11 sideline right after Townsend won their second-round match 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday.
Townsend, an American who is ranked No. 1 in doubles, said Ostapenko, a Latvian, who won the 2017 French Open, told her she has “no class” and “no education.”
A reporter asked Townsend, who is Black, whether she thought there were racial undertones to those comments.
“I didn’t take it in that way, but also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of being ‘not educated’ and all of the things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth,” Townsend responded.
“So whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on,” Townsend said. “The only thing that I’m worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament.”
Ostapenko later posted on social media about “how many messages I received that I am a racist.”
“I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn’t matter where you come from,” she wrote.
After the two players met at the net for a postmatch handshake, they stayed near each other instead of going their separate ways, as usually happens. The 25th-seeded Ostapenko wagged a finger at Townsend as they spoke.
“It’s competition,” Townsend said. “People get upset when they lose.”
When they finally stopped talking, Townsend went over to the stands and egged on the partisan crowd, waving her arm overhead and the noise from spectators only grew louder.
She and Ostapenko have faced each other before in both singles and doubles.
“There’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no beef on my side,” Townsend said. “She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the U.S. I said, ‘I’m excited. Bring it.’ I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that.”
Ostapenko went on social media to post what she called, “Just a small update about the match.”
She wrote that Townsend was “disrespectful” for not saying “sorry” after being helped by a net cord during a point.
“There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was (the) first time ever that this happened to me on tour,” Ostapenko posted. “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”
Ostapenko also complained that Townsend began warming up before the match up at the net, instead of back at the baseline. While most players do begin at the baseline, Townsend noted that she has started with volleying for years.
Ostapenko has gotten into kerfuffles with opponents during matches before, including in 2021 when she lost to Alja Tomljanovic at Wimbledon. Tomljanovic accused Ostapenko of lying about needing to leave the court for a medical timeout to address an abdominal issue.
Townsend recently moved to the top of the WTA doubles rankings. But this is her first time reaching the third round in singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 2023.
In singles, Townsend is No. 139. She is the lowest-ranked American woman to beat a past Grand Slam champion in singles at a major since Kristie Ahn defeated — guess who? — Ostapenko at the 2019 U.S. Open.
“The thing that I’m the most proud of is that I let my racket talk. Because ultimately, I’m the one here, sitting in front of you guys, moving on to the next round, getting the next check, moving on, being able to still be here and speak to you guys, and that’s what’s the most important,” Townsend said Wednesday. “She’s packed up and she’s gone.”
