(NewsNation) — U.S. Open opponents Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into an intense argument Wednesday after their second-round match in which Townsend defeated Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1.
As the two went for the post-match handshake, they began to argue, with Ostapenko telling Townsend she should have apologized for a shot that clipped the top of the net but stayed in play, according to The Athletic.
In the video, captured by ESPN, Townsend, the women’s doubles world No. 1, told her that she doesn’t have to say sorry. The argument continued, with Ostapenko telling Townsend, “You have no education,” multiple times before Townsend told her that she could “learn how to take a loss better.”
In a post-match interview, Townsend said that “people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (R) argues with Taylor Townsend of the United States (L) following 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) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Taylor Townsend of the United States celebrates winning match point against 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) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia reacts as she walks off the court after losing to Taylor Townsend of the United States 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)
She added that Ostapenko told her she has “no class, I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S., so I’m looking forward to it.” “I mean, I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York [inside] the U.S., so let’s see what else she has to say,” she said.
Jelen Ostapenko denies she’s racist
Townsend was asked by reporters if she felt Ostapenko’s remarks had racial undertones but said she couldn’t speak on her opponent’s intentions, according to People magazine.
Ostapenko took to her Instagram Stories saying she’s received numerous messages alleging she’s a racist, a claim she vehemently denies.
“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. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you, you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” she wrote.