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Jelena Ostapenko appears to tell Taylor Townsend she has ‘no education’ after U.S. Open defeat

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Jelena Ostapenko appeared to tell Taylor Townsend that she has “no education” after losing to the American 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

After Townsend, the women’s doubles world No. 1, had sealed the win, she approached the Latvian world No. 26 for the customary handshake at the net. An altercation ensued, with Ostapenko telling Townsend that she should have said sorry for a shot that clipped the top of the net but stayed in play, known as a net cord.

Townsend said she did not have to say sorry, and the altercation continued. Toward the end, Ostapenko appeared to repeat the phrase “you have no education” three times before Townsend walked away, shook hands with the chair umpire and appealed to the crowd to make some noise for her win.

Ostapenko left in a car with her gear immediately afterward.

In an on-court interview with ESPN, Townsend said, “It’s competition, people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things.

“She told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.

“I’m looking forward to it. I mean, I’m looking forward to it, I beat her in Canada outside the U.S.”

In a statement on social media, Ostapenko wrote that she “told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry at all.

“There are some rules in tennis that most of the players follow and it was first time 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 also criticized Townsend for warming up at the net at the start of the match. Convention dictates that players go from the service line, to the baseline, and then to the net, but there is no rule regarding warm-up positions.

Townsend moves on to play either Anastasia Potapova or No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in round three.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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