Amid the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open 2025, underway, a heated exchange took place between Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and the US’s Taylor Townsend on Wednesday during the Women’s singles, reported USA Today.
In the high-intensity game, played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Townsend defeated Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in their second-round match.
The heated exchange took place when Townsend and Ostapenko approached the net for a customary post-match handshake.
According to the video posted by ESPN, both players were seen going back and forth as Ostapenko waved her finger.
Following this, Townsend ended up walking away from Ostapenko and threw her racket down in celebration. She then held her hand to her ear to prompt the crowd to cheer for her.
Townsend explains what happened:
Elaborating the whole heated exchange, Townsend said during her post-match interview, as quoted by USA Today, “People get upset when they lose and some people say bad things.”
“(Ostapenko) told me I have no class, no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.”
However, Townsend – recently ranked the No. 1 overall player in doubles – stated she would never she’s looking forward to playing Ostapenko again in the future. “I beat her in Canada outside the U.S. I beat her in New York inside the U.S. So, let’s see what else she has to say,” she added.
Earlier, Townsend defeated Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1 at the 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto. At the 2018 US Open in New York, Ostapenko had defeated Townsend.
Adding more information, Townsend said during her press conference, “No, there’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me. 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.”
She concluded by saying, “I turned it up another level and that’s what I’m most proud of today. (Ostapenko) was just playing really well. Then when the tables turned, it all of a sudden became an issue. So I chalked it up to competition. I chalk it up to being upset and, you know, she pulled out all the stops to try and break the momentum. Sometimes people do that, but it is what it is.”
Opening up on Wednesday’s match, Ostapenko said, “When she was playing well, I didn’t say anything. That just shows class.
