(Video) Things Get Extremely Ugly Between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend After Intense US Open Clash

Taylor Townsend took a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Jelena Ostapenko after their US Open clash, which was overshadowed by their heated argument.

(Video) Things Get Extremely Ugly Between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend After Intense US Open Clash

Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend engage in heated altercation (Image via X/Barstool Sports, ESPN)

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When Taylor Townsend won a point because of a net cord, it frustrated Jelena Ostapenko, who argued that the American ace did not apologize. This happened in their second-round match at the US Open on Wednesday (August 27).

Townsend clinched the win 7-5, 6-1, and at the net during the customary handshake, the two players engaged in a heated argument. The 29-year-old then celebrated with the partisan crowd after riling them up. The crowd later booed Ostapenko heavily when she was walking off the court. Townsend revealed at the press conference what exactly Ostapenko told her at the handshake.

And no, there’s never been any history. I mean, I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no, you know, beef on my side. She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US. I said, I’m excited, bring it.

It was their third singles encounter, and Townsend now broke the tie to take a 2-1 head-to-head edge. In doubles, just once Ostapenko clinched the win- in this year’s Wimbledon semifinals- out of the nine doubles matches they have played against each other.

But I didn’t back down because you’re not going to insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way, with nothing but respect. If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well. That’s just the fact of the matter. And that’s just the fact that matters. And I think that’s tennis, right? No matter what’s going on, it’s me versus you, but at the end of the day, we have to respect each other and respect what happens on the court.

Taylor Townsend added

Here’s the video of the incident:

Taylor Townsend on whether Jelena Ostapenko’s comment had a racial undertone

Taylor Townsend believes there’s a stigma that African-American people are less educated, which she believes is far from the truth. Townsend was asked at the press conference if Jelena Ostapenko’s “no class, no education” had a racial undertone.

Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend (Image via X/Christopher Levy)

Don’t really take that personally because I know that it’s so far from the truth and so far from anything. And again, if I allow what other people have to say about me affect me in that way, then they win. So ultimately, no, I stood up for myself, and I kept in my mind in that moment how I wanted to portray myself and how I wanted to show up.

Ostapenko took to Instagram story and wrote that she has never been a racist in her life that she respects people from every country. The Latvian thinks Townsend behaved in such a manner because of the crowd’s support, saying that, as she herself is from a small country, she didn’t have that much support and a chance to play in her country.

Taylor Townsend will next play Mirra Andreeva

Townsend is expected to face a tough challenge from her next-round opponent as she will be locking horns with Mirra Andreeva. The teenager from Russia breezed past Alycia Parks and Anastasia Potapova in the previous two rounds.

Mirra Andreeva (2)
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Townsend and Andreeva faced each other once in singles before- in the first round of the 2024 Madrid Open, which the 18-year-old won in three sets. Andreeva has played just one Grand Slam semifinal in her career so far- at the 2024 French Open. At the US Open, she has progressed to the third round for the first time. Townsend, who has clinched two Grand Slam doubles titles, including this year’s Australian Open with Katerina Siniakova, has not yet advanced beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament in singles.

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