Taylor Townsend, Jelena Ostapenko get into fiery exchange after U.S. Open match: 'She said I have no education'

Following Wednesday’s match at the 2025 U.S. Open, American Taylor Townsend and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko got into a heated exchange. In a post-match interview, Townsend shared what was said.

Townsend took down Ostapenko in two sets – 7-5 and 6-1 – to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open. The two shook hands afterward, but Ostapenko appeared to say something that got Townsend’s attention, and that’s when the exchange began.

Speaking with ESPN’s Kris Budden, Townsend said Ostapenko told her she had “no education” during the interaction. She also pointed to her record away from the United States to make her point.

Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got in a heated interaction after their second round match at the US Open.

Townsend is on to the third round. pic.twitter.com/cOIYzoyfmG

— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2025

“It’s competition,” Townsend said. “People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things. She told me I have no class, I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.

“I’m looking forward to it. I mean, I beat her in Canada – outside the U.S. I beat her in New York, [in] the U.S. So let’s see what else she has to say.”

Townsend initially trailed by three games in the first set before rallying to win, 7-5. When she faced that deficit, she stayed the course and opted not to say anything despite how well Ostapenko was playing. From there, Townsend was able to kick things into gear.

“Honestly, I just locked in,” Townsend said. “She was playing really well at the beginning and when she was playing well, I didn’t say anything. That just shows class. Sometimes, people are just 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.”

Of course, the crowd in Queens had Townsend’s back as she worked to rally back from the first-set deficit and dominated the second. But the fans in attendance also recognized when Ostapenko was playing well considering some of the shots she had.

But as she looked around, Taylor Townsend said the energy made an impact. Now, she’s heading to the third round at the 2025 U.S. Open.

“I love this crowd so much and they were cheering for me from start to finish, even when Jelena was playing well,” Townsend said. “The crowd was cheering for her too. I mean she hit some amazing shots. But this is what I live for. I love this city. I love New York, I love the people. So I look forward to another round.”