Jelena Ostapenko was once again involved in controversy after being defeated by American Taylor Townsend in the second round of the US Open. The former Roland Garros champion had a heated verbal exchange with her opponent after their match, with the crowd heavily involved, booing the Latvian after Townsend’s 7-5, 6-1 victory at Flushing Meadows.
It was a performance that started strong for the Latvian, who got two early breaks to go up 3-0. However, she could do little for the rest of the match, as Townsend won 13 of the next 16 games, becoming almost unbeatable on serve and stringing together a nine-game streak before securing the victory.
The tense moments happened at the end of the match when a frustrated Ostapenko used the net handshake to rebuke her opponent, looking visibly upset—apparently by Townsend’s attitude when celebrating points. The American didn’t back down and responded to Ostapenko before heading to greet the chair umpire and then celebrating visibly with the crowd.
Townsend immediately celebrated by looking at the crowd and encouraging them to cheer and boo Ostapenko, showing that she is not one to shy away from her strong personality. The entire crowd on Court 11 booed Ostapenko as she left the court while a euphoric Townsend celebrated in the center of the court, securing her spot in the third round. She will face the winner of the all-Russian match between Mirra Andreeva and Anastasia Potapova.
Ostapenko’s first set collapse
The first set quickly went in favor of the Latvian, who got two consecutive breaks and went up 3-0 just a few minutes into the match on Court 11. The American responded with a break back, and things began to stabilize, with both players winning several service games at love.
Ostapenko was up 5-3 and had the chance to serve for the set, but she began to struggle with her serve. Townsend showed resilience and won the next four games in a row, closing out the first set 7-5 after 41 minutes. The world No. 139 had been especially effective on serve, with a 77% first-serve rate and winning 63% of those points.
