Overview

• Postmatch footage showed Jelena Ostapenko telling Taylor Townsend she had “no class” and “no education” after their US Open singles match.
• Naomi Osaka called the phrasing one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player and said the moment was “just really bad.”
• Ostapenko denied racist intent on Instagram, arguing she was upset that Townsend did not apologize for a net-cord point and framing it as an etiquette issue.
• Townsend said she did not interpret the comments as racist but noted that being labeled “uneducated” carries a harmful stigma in her community.
• The USTA said Ostapenko skipped required media duties for medical reasons, as players including Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton criticized the choice of words.