Taylor Townsend Didn't Take Jelena Ostapenko's Diss as Racist in Viral US Open Video

Taylor Townsend has further addressed the situation with Jelena Ostapenko that took place after their second-round match at the US Open on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters following her 7-5, 6-1 victory, Townsend explained she didn't get the sense of any racist undertones to what Ostapenko said in their face-to-face argument on the court:

"I didn't take it in that way, but also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of being 'not educated' and all of the things, when it's the furthest thing from the truth. So whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on. The only thing that I'm worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament."

When the two women met at the net to shake hands after Townsend's win, Ostapenko said something that resulted in a heated exchange between the two.

Speaking to ESPN's Kris Budden afterward, Townsend said Ostapenko told her she has "no class," "no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S."

In her Instagram Stories (h/t Christian Arnold of the New York Post), Ostapenko wrote that Townsend was "very disrespectful" during a key moment of the match when she hit a net cord, didn't apologize for it and said "she doesn't have to say sorry at all."

Ostapenko also wrote about other issues she had throughout the match:

"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. In the beginning of the match all players are supposed to start warm up on the baseline. The opponent came out and straight away started the warm up at then which is very disrespectful and against the rules of a tennis match."

A net cord is when the ball hits the top of the net and remains in play. There's no official rule in tennis about a player having to apologize when that happens. It can be acknowledged by the player who hit it, but it doesn't change the outcome of the point regardless.

Ostapenko's defeat was her fifth consecutive time losing within the first three rounds at a Grand Slam tournament dating back to the 2024 US Open. She entered this year's tournament as the No. 25 seed in the women's bracket.

Townsend, a two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles competition, is advancing to the third round at the US Open as a singles competitor for the first time since 2023. She will take on No. 5 Mirra Andreeva on Friday.