Tennis star Jelena Ostapenko has denied she was racist after reportedly telling Taylor Townsend she has “no class” and “no education” during a fiery exchange at the US Open.
The pair clashed at the side of the court at Flushing Meadows in New York following Towsend’s 7-5 6-1 victory in the second round of the tournament.
Ostapenko, from Latvia, was seen pointing her finger at her American rival during the row as loud boos could be heard from the crowd.
The confrontation was caught on camera but what the players were saying could not be heard. However, one video of the exchange shows Townsend saying “you can learn to take a loss better” before walking away.
Ostapenko, ranked 26th in the world, didn’t do a post-match news conference but later shared an Instagram story where she accused Townsend of unsporting behaviour and being “disrepectful” by not apologising for a shot that hit the top of the net.
She also accused her US rival, who is ranked 139th in the world, of not warming up in the expected manner by practising volleys.
The 28-year-old added: “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”
Ostapenko was later met with allegations of racism after Townsend said during her on-court interview that her opponent told her she has “no class” and “no education” and to “see what happens when we get outside the US”.
Townsend added: “I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the US so let’s see what else she has to say.”
Later during a post-match news conference, Townsend was asked if there were racial undertones to Ostapenko’s on-court remarks.
The American said: “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, 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.”
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Ostapenko later wrote in a post 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.
“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.
“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.”
The confrontation came a year after Townsend beat Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1 in Canada in August 2024.
Townsend and doubles partner Katerina Siniakova also beat Ostapenko and Hsieh Su-wei in three sets to win the Australian Open doubles title in January.
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The American and Siniakova then lost to Ostapenko and Hsieh in the semi-finals of Wimbledon this past June.
The post-match row between Townsend and Ostapenko at the US Open comes after Yulia Putintseva was involved in a heated exchange with Maria Sakkari at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany in June.
Sakkari, from Greece, beat her Kazakhstani rival 7-5 7-6 (8-6) in a close encounter before the pair shook hands and exchanged insults.
One of the comments made by Sakkari to Putintseva which the microphone picked up was “when you shake hands with someone, look them in the eyes” followed by “nobody likes you”.
