After losing to Taylor Townsend in the second round of the US Open this week, Jerena Ostapenko told Townsend “there is no class” and “no education.” On Saturday, Ostapenko issued an apology, claiming that her comments resulted in English not her primary language.
The pair went into a heated conflict after Townsend won the match in straight sets. Ostapenko was angry that Townsend, a black American woman, had not apologized for the netcode during the match.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s a competition,” Townsend said after the conflict. “People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things. She says I don’t have classes, I don’t have education, I look forward to it to see what happens when we go outside the US. I mean, I beat her in Canada.
Ostapenko went to Instagram after the match and said, “Today, after the match, at a very decisive moment, and although I’m sorry, her answer was to say there’s no need to say that she’s sorry at all.” She continued, “If she plays in her hometown, that doesn’t mean she can do anything she wants.”
Watch: Taylor Townsend, Jerena Ostapenko joins post-match spat
Zachary Pereles
Many people felt that Ostapenko’s behavior had a racial tinge. “Sometimes I feel like society, especially people of color. Sometimes I’m expecting to be silent,” Townsend said after winning a first-round doubles match on Thursday.
On Saturday, Ostapenko went to Instagram again. This time they offered an apology that was not directed at Townsend and did not include Townsend’s name.
“Hello – I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second round singles match,” Ostapenko wrote. “English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was only talking about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand that the words I used can anger many people beyond the tennis court.
Townsend built on the momentum of her victory over Ostapenko By defeating No. 5 seed Mira Andreva To advance to round 16 on Friday. She will face Barbora Klezikova on Sunday, and will be the deepest in the Grand Slam Singles event on a trip to the Line’s quarterfinals.
Townsend also won a two-round doubles match against partner Katerina Sr. Koba on Saturday.
