American Taylor Townsend upset 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in the U.S. Open second round on Wednesday, earning her first appearance in the tournament’s last 32 since 2023 and extending a breakthrough season that has already taken her to the top of the WTA doubles rankings. Tensions escalated immediately after match point when Ostapenko wagged her finger at Townsend during the handshake and, according to the American, told her she had “no class,” “no education” and to “see what happens” outside the United States. Townsend, 28, later said she was proud she “let the racket talk,” adding that she did not initially interpret the remarks as racist but considered them baseless. Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion from Latvia, wrote on Instagram that her anger stemmed from Townsend’s failure to apologise for a net-cord winner and for beginning warm-ups at the net rather than the baseline. She labelled the behaviour “disrespectful” but insisted, “I was NEVER racist in my life,” after receiving criticism online. The exchange has drawn swift reaction across the tournament. Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka said calling a Black player “uneducated” is “one of the worst things you can say” in a largely white sport, while world No. 2 Coco Gauff described the comments as regrettable even if spoken in the heat of defeat.