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American told she has 'no class and no education' to ignite wild US Open altercation linked to racism
Christian Montegan • August 29th, 2025 1:42 pm
US Open 25th seed Jeļena Ostapenko is being accused of racism after an ugly exchange at the net, following her second round exit.
Ostapenko, 28, was outclassed by world No.139 Taylor Townsend 5-7, 1-6 on one of the outside courts, but the two players clashed moments after match point when Ostapenko accused her opponent of not apologising for her shot clipping the top of the net, resulting in Townsend winning the point.
After they shook hands, Ostapenko told the doubles No.1 that "you have to shake hands", as Townsend responded, "No, I don't have to", after telling the Latvian she "doesn't know how to take an L".
"Today after the match I told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn't say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn't have to say sorry at all," Ostapenko said.
"There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow, and it was first time ever that this happened to me on Tour. If she plays in her homeland, it doesn't mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants."
Townsend was asked about the heated altercation post-match, revealing what was said between the pair.
"Saying I have no education and no class, I don't really take that personally, because I know that it's so far from the truth and so far from anything. Again, if I allow what other people have to say about me affect me in that way, then they win. So ultimately, no," Townsend explained.
"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, and if my son were to see this interaction, how would he view it? I think he would be proud of the way that I handled the situation.
"I'm very strong. I'm very proud as a black woman, being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture. I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court.
"So I can't speak on how she felt about it. That's something that you're going to have to ask her. 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.
"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.
"I know that I'm a fantastic tennis player, and I know that I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish, and this is another stepping stone. It's another brick that I’m laying on my foundation or on my road to greatness."
The 29-year-old told ESPN that "people get upset when they lose. When she was playing well, I didn't say anything. That just shows class."
Although Ostapenko wasn't requested for press duties, she didn't back down in a post shared on her Instagram story.
"Wow. 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," the former Roland-Garros champion wrote.
"There are rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you, you can't use it in a disrespectful way to your opponent. Unfortunately for me, coming from such a small country, I don't have that huge support and a chance to play in (my) homeland.
"I always loved to play in the US and US Open, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way."
Four years ago at Wimbledon, an ugly clash played out between Ostapenko and Ajla Tomljanović, with the former labelling the Aussie as the "worst player on Tour" after accusing her of faking an injury.
The drama overshadowed Townsend's victory, which booked her a ticket to face fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in round three.
