Competition is heating up in the second round of the US Open.
Following Jelena “Alona” Ostapenko’s 5-7, 1-6 loss to American Taylor Townsend Aug. 27, the Latvian tennis player allegedly had a few choice words for her opponent.
During their post-match handshake, the former French Open champion appeared to call out Townsend for not apologizing earlier during play when she hit a net cord, where the ball hits the top of the net but remains in play. (While many players make a habit of holding a hand up to apologize for a successful net cord, there is no official rule forcing a player to show remorse.)
After the interaction—which included multiple verbal exchanges and was drowned out by the crowd booing in response—Townsend detailed the moment during her on-court interview.
“It’s competition, people get upset when they lose and some people say bad things,” she explained of Ostapenko. “She told me I have no class, I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.”
