US Open 2025: Jelena Ostapenko BREAKS Silence On 'No Education' Remark Row With Taylor Townsend

The second round of the women's singles match between Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and American tennis player Taylor Townsend became tense after the two were involved in a heated argument following the latter's victory at the US Open 2025 on Thursday, August 28. Townsend advanced to the third round after defeating Ostapenko in two straight sets - 7-5, 6-1.

However, the post-drama overshadowed the result of the match as both players exchanged words in a fiery confrontation. Ostapenko was visibly upset with Townsend while shaking hands at the net. Latvian verbally confronted her opponent over the perceived breach of etiquette, which quickly escalated into a heated exchange before Townsend walked away from Ostapenko to the crowd's applause.

Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got in a heated interaction after their second round match at the US Open is on to the third round. twitter/cOIYzoyfmG

- ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2025

Later, at the press conference, Townsend accused Ostapenko of insulting her with the 'no class, no education' remark, while admitting 'stigma' attached to such remarks, but expressed pride by proving herself in the performance. However, Taylor Townsend has downplayed whether the Latvian used racial undertones, stating it is for her to explain.

The heated argument between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko became the talking point of the ongoing edition of the US Open, with videos of the fiery exchange between the two quickly going viral on social media, and the majority of the tennis fans have shown their support towards the American for standing her ground against the Latvian.

'She was very disrespectful'

Jelena Ostapenko released a statement on Instagram over her heated argument with Taylor Townsend after the defeat in the second round of the women's singles at the US Open. She had to share three stories to clarify her stance.

Ostapenko explained that her anger stemmed from Townsend's refusal to apologize for the crucial net cord winner, which she saw as disrespectful. When confronted by the Latvian, the American allegedly stated that she did not need to apologize, escalating tensions between the two.

She further stated that Townsend did not follow the rules of the game, adding that she does not have the right to behave differently even if she is playing at home.

“Just a small update about the match. 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 wrote.

“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.”

In her second Instagram story, Jelena Ostapenko stated that Taylor Townsend did not warm up on the baseline before the start of the game, but rather warmed up straightaway at the net, which she believes to be against the rules of the game.

“In the beginning of the match all players are supposed to start warm up on the baseline," she wrote

"The opponent came out and straight away started the warm up at the net, which is very disrespectful and against the rules of a tennis match.” Ostapenko added.

Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend met thrice on the WTA tour, with the American leading 2-1 over the Latvian after the second round win at the US Open. Before the US Open, the last face-off between the two was in the round of 16 at the Canadian Open last year, where Townsend defeated Ostapenko in two straight sets.

'I was never racist in my life'

After putting out a statement on her Instagram stories, Jelena Ostapenko revealed that she was accused of racism for her remark toward Taylor Townsend, which she vehemently denied, stating that she respects the people of all nations, while criticizing the American opponent for using it to fuel support for her despite going against the rules of the game.

Latvian further stated that she does not have much crowd support or a chance to play in her homeland and accused Townsend of approaching the game disrespectfully.

“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. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can't use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” The 28-year-old wrote.

“Unfortunately for me, coming from such a small country I don't have that huge support and a chance to play in 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,” she concluded.

Jelena Ostapenko shot to fame when she scripted history by becoming the first Latvian tennis player to win a Grand Slam title, achieving the historic feat at the French Open in 2017, defeating Simone Halep of Romania. In the ongoing season, Ostapenko clinched two titles and won 34 matches in her 47 outings, showcasing strong form on the WTA Tour despite her US Open exit, which was marred by the controversy against Taylor Townsend.

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