Jelena Ostapenko repeatedly told Taylor Townsend she has “no education” during a heated exchange after the American dispatched the former French Open winner 7-5, 6-1 in US Open second round action.
When the two players shook hands at the end of the match, Ostapenko appeared to voice her displeasure over an earlier point where Townsend won with the aid of the net cord. It’s an unwritten rule in tennis to apologize when winning a point with the aid of a net cord but Townsend didn’t apologize.
The American can be heard saying, “No, I don’t have to,” when Ostapenko tells her she’s supposed to say sorry.
As Ostapenko and Townsend went back and forth, the crowd booed the Latvian the whole way. Townsend was adamant that Ostapenko doesn’t know how to take a loss. After the match, Townsend also claimed that Ostapenko said she has no class.
Townsend took the high road in ending the conversation, telling Ostapenko with a smile, “But you can learn how to take a loss better. Thank you so much, great job, great play.”
The 29 year old will next face fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the third round.
Ostapenko Responds To Criticism With Social Media Post
Later in the day, Ostapenko put up a couple posts on Instagram story, explaining her side.
“Just a small update about the match. Today, after the match, I told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very decisive moment and didn’t say sorry. Her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all. There are some [unwritten] rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was the 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 on Instagram pic.twitter.com/gZGERk9kq4
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 27, 2025
Ostapenko then also took issue with how the players warmed up before the match. She explained that warmups usually start on the baseline but that Townsend starter her warmup at net. The Latvian claimed that this, too, was “very disrespectful and against the rules of a tennis match.”
This is not the first time Ostapenko has taken a “holier than thou” approach and behaved like a sore loser in a match.
Back in 2022, Ostapenko threw a tantrum after losing in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. Losing to Tatjana Maria, Ostapenko knocked over her chair by throwing a bottle at it and stormed off the court.
During her press conference, she claimed that Maria was lucky to win because of all of her own mistakes.
Townsend Takes High Road While Not Tolerating Disrespect
Even when speaking after the match, Townsend was firm, fair and respectful.
“I chalk that up to competition, I chalk it up to being upset,” Townsend said in her press conference. “She pulled out all the stops to try and break the momentum and sometimes people do that. It is what it is, there still is no beef. Again, like you guys, I didn’t back down because you’re not gonna insult me especially when I carry myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect.
“If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well and that’s just the fact of the matter. That’s tennis.”
Townsend called the whole incident unfortunate and joked it’s something she can use to get views on TikTok.
