The US Open women’s draw was overshadowed by a tense confrontation between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend on Wednesday, August 27, during their second-round match. The incident occurred at the net during the customary post-match handshake.

Ostapenko had accused Townsend of being “very disrespectful” for not apologizing after a net-cord winner on a crucial point and referred to the American as a player with “no education.” The comment was reportedly interpreted as racially insensitive, prompting Ostapenko to address the matter publicly on social media.

“Hi all – I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,” Ostapenko wrote on Instagram. “English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe

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