The US Open second-round match between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko gets a dramatic ending after the two players engage in a face-to-face heated argument after shaking hands.
According to Associated Press, the US Open match between Ostapenko and Townsend on Wednesday, August 27, turned ugly after the two opponents had a harsh argument on the Court 11 sideline right after the American tennis player claimed a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
Moments after the match ended, the No. 1 in doubles walked towards the Latvian, and as they walked towards the chair umpire after shaking hands, the two could be seen arguing, triggering crowd boos.
Later, during the on-court interview, the 29-year-old revealed that the one-time Grand Slam winner told her that she has “no class” and “no education.”
When the reporter asked her if she found any racial implications behind the comments, Townsend responded, “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 those things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
“So whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on. The only thing that I’m worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ostapenko, following a backlash after a heated argument, in a social media post wrote that she was “NEVER” a racist and she respects all nations of people in the world.
Townsend will now face Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the US Open on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
