August 28, 2025
Taylor Townsend claps back after opponent Jelena Ostapenko claims she has “no class” and “no education.”
Taylor Townsend is being applauded for how she handled a heated post-game exchange with opponent Jelena Ostapenko after allegedly being told she has “no class” and “no education.”
The tennis star became the talk of the town after her Aug. 27 victory over Ostapenko, which secured her spot in the third round of the U.S. Open. Following the match, a now-viral clip captured by ESPN shows the two exchanging words after their post-match handshake.
From another angle, Townsend is seen ending the heated exchange by telling Ostapenko to “learn how to take a loss better.” She then turns to the crowd, hyping them up as they erupt in cheers and applause—following an onslaught of boos directed at Ostapenko.
When speaking with a sideline reporter after the exchange, Townsend detailed the exchange and how Ostapenko allegedly berated her following her loss.
“People get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things,” Townsend said. “She told me I have no class, I have no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Bringing it back to the game, Townsend credited Ostapenko for playing well in the early half of the game, and cites how it only motivated her to play harder, something someone with “class” would do.
“She was playing really well at the beginning, and you know, when she was playing well, I didn’t say anything,” Townsend said. “And so that just shows class. I mean, sometimes people are playing too good, and you have to just take it. But I turned it up another level, and that’s what I’m most proud of today.”
Taylor Townsend recounted her interaction with No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko after their second round match at the US Open.
Townsend advanced to the third round after her upset win 👏 pic.twitter.com/jFvQHE8iTw
— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2025
After facing backlash and accusations of racism, Ostapenko responded on her Instagram Story, dismissing the claims while doubling down on her stance that Townsend’s behavior during the match was “disrespectful.”
“I was never racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world,” she wrote.
Ostapenko, a native of Riga, Latvia, and winner of the 2017 French Open, argued that Townsend held the home-court advantage competing in the U.S., while she did not, coming from what she described as a “small country.”
“There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately, when the crowd is with you, you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” Ostapenko said. “Unfortunately for me, coming from such a small country, I don’t have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland.”
In her post-match press conference, Townsend expressed pride in her performance, saying she “let my racket talk.”
The win marked a major upset, as Townsend, best known as a WTA doubles standout, is currently ranked No. 139 in singles. She became the lowest-ranked American woman to defeat a former Grand Slam champion at a major since Kristie Ahn, who coincidentally beat Ostapenko at the 2019 U.S. Open. Next, Townsend faces a tough third-round test against No. 5-ranked Mirra Andreeva on Aug. 29.
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