Overview

• Taylor Townsend beat fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 on Friday night to reach the fourth round, extending the tournament’s focus on her post‑match clash with Jelena Ostapenko.
• Naomi Osaka called Ostapenko’s wording “one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player,” with Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens also voicing support for Townsend.
• Townsend said she did not interpret the comments as racial but acknowledged the phrase’s harmful stigma in her community and emphasized she was proud of how she handled the exchange.
• Ostapenko denied racist intent in an Instagram statement framing the dispute as a sportsmanship issue over a net‑cord apology; she later deleted the post and skipped press citing medical reasons.
• Crowds and social‑media attention around Townsend have grown noticeably since the incident, which has kept the conversation on sportsmanship, language, and accountability in the sport.