Taylor Townsend had a tense moment post-match.
A video from courtside showed a somewhat awkward exchange between her and Jelena Ostapenko after Townsend’s win, 7-5, 6-1, in the second round on Wednesday.
“You can learn how to make a loss better. Thank you very much. Great work, great performance,” Townsend remarked with a hint of sarcasm and what looked like a forced smile.
The video seemed to capture just the tail end of a confrontation that started with Ostapenko confronting Townsend.
“It’s a competition; emotions run high when someone loses,” Townsend told ESPN right after the match. “Some players might say things that are less than kind. She lacks class and education, and honestly, I’m curious to see how things play out once I leave the US.”
Ostapenko later shared on Instagram that the incident went deeper than just the court exchange—she felt Townsend didn’t apologize for a fortunate break during the match, plus her conduct during the warm-up bothered her.
Aryna Sabalenka mentioned that she spoke with Ostapenko following the match, expressing that she thinks Ostapenko may be grappling with outside issues that affected her demeanor.
“After the match, I told her that she had a netball at a critical moment and didn’t apologize, which felt rude. She replied that she didn’t think she needed to apologize at all,” Ostapenko wrote.
“There are certain unwritten rules many players adhere to in tennis, and this was the first time I encountered something like this on tour. Just because she’s playing at home doesn’t grant her the freedom to act however she pleases. Players are expected to start warm-ups from the baseline.
Such a fraught interaction somewhat overshadowed Townsend’s significant victory, especially since she had fallen in the first round of the previous three Grand Slam events this year.
On Thursday, Townsend returned as part of the seeded women’s doubles team, partnering with Katerina Sr. Kova.
She then faces a tough opponent in the third round of singles against fifth-seeded Mira Andriva, who hasn’t dropped a single game in her first two matches at Flushing Meadows.
