Jelena Ostapenko has apologised for some of the words she used in a tense altercation with American Taylor Townsend at the US Open, which led to a backlash, with the Latvian stating that English was not her native language.
The controversy ignited after Townsend, who is Black, beat 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in a tough second-round battle on Wednesday before being dragged into a verbal duel by her opponent following their handshake.
Townsend revealed part of the exchange in her on-court interview, saying Ostapenko accused her of having “no class” and “no education”, adding in a news conference that the Latvian would have to answer if there were “racial undertones” to the row.
Ostapenko said on Instagram that her anger stemmed from Townsend’s refusal to apologise for benefitting from a net cord – when the American’s shot clipped the net and stayed in play – and accused her of being disrespectful.
Most players tend to hold up their racket in apology after winning such a point, following age-old traditions in the sport.
The altercation prompted four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to wade into the debate, with the Japanese player saying that using the words that Ostapenko did were the worst things to utter to criticise a Black player.
“I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,” Ostapenko said on Saturday.
“English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.
“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a player.”
Townsend said later it was nice that Ostapenko apologised.
“That’s fine. That’s cool,” she added. “At the end of the day, I think that it’s a lesson for her … you can’t push your expectations on other people. That’s what happened.
“She expected me to react a certain way, and I didn’t, and it infuriated her, which led her to say things that are hurtful, belligerent, offensive, not only to me but to the sport and a whole culture of people I try to represent the best I can.”
American Coco Gauff said Townsend, who will take on Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round, was one of the nicest people she knew.
Townsend said a lot of people were finding out about her following the incident.
“There’s a lot of familiar faces here, but there are a lot of people who maybe didn’t have any idea who I was,” she said.
“People being able to see me now, but then being able to go back and go into my history and follow my journey and figure out how has she gotten here, I think that’s super cool.”
Ostapenko apologises to Townsend for ‘no education’ comments | Tennis News
Published On 31 Aug 202531 Aug 2025
Jelena Ostapenko has apologised for some of the words she used in a tense altercation with American Taylor Townsend at the US Open, which led to a backlash, with the Latvian stating that English was not her native language.
The controversy ignited after Townsend, who is Black, beat 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in a tough second-round battle on Wednesday before being dragged into a verbal duel by her opponent following their handshake.
Townsend revealed part of the exchange in her on-court interview, saying Ostapenko accused her of having “no class” and “no education”, adding in a news conference that the Latvian would have to answer if there were “racial undertones” to the row.
Ostapenko said on Instagram that her anger stemmed from Townsend’s refusal to apologise for benefitting from a net cord – when the American’s shot clipped the net and stayed in play – and accused her of being disrespectful.
Most players tend to hold up their racket in apology after winning such a point, following age-old traditions in the sport.
The altercation prompted four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to wade into the debate, with the Japanese player saying that using the words that Ostapenko did were the worst things to utter to criticise a Black player.
“I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,” Ostapenko said on Saturday.
“English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.
“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a player.”
Townsend said later it was nice that Ostapenko apologised.
“That’s fine. That’s cool,” she added. “At the end of the day, I think that it’s a lesson for her … you can’t push your expectations on other people. That’s what happened.
“She expected me to react a certain way, and I didn’t, and it infuriated her, which led her to say things that are hurtful, belligerent, offensive, not only to me but to the sport and a whole culture of people I try to represent the best I can.”
American Coco Gauff said Townsend, who will take on Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round, was one of the nicest people she knew.
Townsend said a lot of people were finding out about her following the incident.
“There’s a lot of familiar faces here, but there are a lot of people who maybe didn’t have any idea who I was,” she said.
“People being able to see me now, but then being able to go back and go into my history and follow my journey and figure out how has she gotten here, I think that’s super cool.”
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US Open: Taylor Townsend on Jelena Ostapenko row
Taylor Townsend said she “let my racquet talk” after claiming Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education” after losing to her in the US Open.
READ MORE: ‘No respect’ – Ostapenko and Townsend in US Open row
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Canadian Open: Naomi Osaka impresses to beat Jelena Ostapenko in Montreal
American Pegula has an excellent record in Canada – she was on an 11-match winning run in Montreal.
But she was shocked by world number 386 Sevastova who, like Osaka, returned from maternity leave in early 2024.
This was the 35-year-old’s first win over an opponent ranked in the WTA top five since beating Karolina Pliskova in 2017.
There was no hint of an upset when Pegula broke her in the opening game and again to love to claim the first set.
But a forehand winner earned Sevastova a break for a 5-4 lead in the second set and she denied Pegula three chances to break for a crucial hold to force a decider.
And when Pegula sent a down-the-line forehand wide to surrender a break and hand Sevastova a 2-1 lead, the Latvian did not let the momentum go.
She swept up the remaining games, including two further breaks, to claim a remarkable win in one hour and 41 minutes.
“It was a weird match for me,” said Pegula. “I felt like I had total control and then I just played a couple of terrible games for, like three games.
“That totally flipped the momentum of the match, and I went from being up a set and 2-0 to being down very quickly.
“I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. I’ve got to figure it out.”
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