After Taylor Townsend’s straight-sets victory against Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday at the US Open, the two players could be heard exchanging heated words beside the court, with the Latvian saying the American had “no class” and “no education.”
Reaction has continued to come in on the encounter, with Naomi Osaka one of the latest players to be asked about the back-and-forth between Ostapenko and Townsend and the type of language used.
“It’s been on the TV, like, every 15 minutes,” Osaka said to reporters after defeating American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the third round.
“I mean, it’s really difficult to say. I think obviously it’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport. And granted, I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s w