American Taylor Townsend Downplays Racial Undertones After Tense Encounter At US Open

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Taylor Townsend of the United States (R) greets Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their Women’s Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2025 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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American Taylor Townsend downplayed the potential racial undertones to her opponent’s post-match comments at the US Open, but said Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class.”

After losing to Townsend, 7-5, 6-1, in the second round on Wednesday, the Latvian player got into an argument with her opponent for an extended period as the crowd booed.

“She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.,” Townsend told ESPN’s Kris Budden.

“So I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the U.S. I beat her in New York outside the U.S., so let’s see what else she has to say.”

Video showed Townsend telling Ostapenko, “You can learn how to take a loss better. Thank you so much. Great job, great play.”

Townsend was asked if she thought there were racial undertones to Townsend’s comments.

“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,” Townsend said.

“So whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on,” Townsend said. “The only thing that I’m worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament.”

Ostapenko later posted on social media about “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,” she wrote.

Ostapenka, the 2017 French Open singles champion and the current world No. 3 in doubles, has a history of run-ins with opponents.

After losing to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets in Doha in 2024, she refused to shake her opponent’s hand afterward.

“I think it’s something you kind of expect,” Azarenka said of Ostapenko’s antics after their Australian Open match. “She’s doing what she’s doing. It’s actually interesting because I feel like it doesn’t necessarily always affect her. When she’s winning, she’s like this; when she’s losing, she’s like this. I think it’s just how she deals with herself on the court.

“I can’t speak for how she feels and why she does it. Some of [Ostapenko’s] line callings, I mean, it can be a bit comical … I just think that’s how she is. I don’t necessarily judge. I’m just there to play a match.”

Later that year at Wimbledon, in a quarterfinal match against Barbora Krejčíková, Ostapenko argued with and ordered one of her coaches, Stas Khmarsky, to leave her player’s box. Ostapenko was leading in the second set at the time, and she went on to lose the match in straight sets

As for Townsend, this is her deepest run since reaching the fourth round of the Open in 2019.