In a heated encounter at the U.S. Open, Jeļena Ostapenko and her doubles partner Hsieh Su-wei pulled off a victory against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, which sparked some intense emotions. After sealing a 6-4, 6-4 win in the Round of 16, Ostapenko couldn’t help but shout towards Chan’s player box multiple times.
This isn’t the first time Ostapenko’s had a fiery moment on the court; she made headlines last year for her comments directed at Taylor Townsend during the singles tournament. And after their match on Monday, Hsieh also joined in, celebrating by shouting toward Chan’s camp.
But the tension didn’t stop there. Following the conclusion of the match, Ostapenko approached Chan and Joint to shake hands. However, Chan didn’t return the gesture towards Hsieh, which left Ostapenko visibly shocked as she walked off the court.
There were some dramatic exchanges during the match too. At one point, Ostapenko requested a tournament supervisor, apparently suggesting that Hsieh’s team was providing coaching from the stands.
The rift appears to come from a long-standing rivalry between Hsieh and Chan. Reports indicate that Hsieh feels the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association has favored Chan and her sister Yung-Jan through financial support and other resources.
Looking ahead, Ostapenko is on track to face Taylor Townsend again if Townsend and her partner Katerina Siniakova advance past the quarterfinals. However, that scenario hinges on both Ostapenko and Hsieh making it through their own quarterfinal match.
Last year’s tournament saw Ostapenko embroiled in controversy after a heated exchange with Townsend, who eliminated her in the second round. Ostapenko was upset over what she perceived as a lack of sportsmanship when a shot hit the net but stayed in play.
Townsend recounted Ostapenko telling her she had “no class” and warned her to wait until they met outside the U.S. This year, Ostapenko didn’t progress beyond the first round in the singles draw and chose not to address the media afterwards.
In their opening match, Joint and Chan managed to defeat tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.
