Jelena Ostapenko accused Taylor Townsend of lacking “class” during a furious on-court confrontation between the two players after their second-round match at the US Open, where the unseeded American defeated the 25th-seeded Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1.
Ostapenko spoke sharply to Townsend during a cold handshake at the net at the end of the match on Wednesday.
Townsend at one point said “I don’t have to do anything” to Ostapenko, who repeatedly pointed at her opponent. The American eventually walked away and shook the chair umpire’s hand and proceeded to whip the crowd into a frenzy.
“She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US,” Townsend told reporters after the match.
“I said, I’m excited, bring it. I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that. I just thought that it was really interesting.
“There’s no beef. But again, like you guys saw, 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 … it was unfortunate, but, you know, it’s something I can put on my TikTok.
“The thing I’m the most proud of is that I let my racket talk. Because ultimately, I’m the one here sitting in front of you guys moving on to the next round, getting the next cheque, moving on … and that’s what’s the most important.
“She’s packed up and she’s gone. I’m here, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
‘Very disrespectful’
Ostapenko said in a post on Instagram that she had been angered by Townsend’s failure to acknowledge a net cord in her favour during the match.
The 28-year-old also accused Townsend of breaching etiquette by starting her pre-match warm-up at the net.
“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,” 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.”
Ostapenko’s explanation failed to impress Townsend when she was informed of the Latvian’s remarks.
“I mean, it’s sports,” Townsend said. “I feel like people have gotten a little bit soft. I’m not going to lie. It’s sports. People talk trash. You know, people say things. Whatever, people get mad.
“Everyone has a right to feel how they feel. The problem is, don’t push your expectations on me. If you expect for someone to apologise and they don’t and you get upset about it, that’s your fault, not mine.”
Ostapenko received words of support from world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who revealed after her late-night match that she had spoken with the Latvian following the incident.
“I have to say that she’s nice,” Sabalenka said of Ostapenko. “Just sometimes she can lose control over her emotions, which is pretty tough.
“I’m pretty sure, looking back, she’s not happy with her behaviour.”
The post Furious Ostapenka lashes out at Townsend on court after US Open loss appeared first on Al Jazeera.
