Opponent Berates American Townsend After US Open Match

American Taylor Townsend defeated Latvia's Jelana Ostapenko in a US Open upset on Thursday, and the two players got into a heated argument immediately afterward. The moment has Ostapenko fending off accusations she took on a racist tone, though Townsend herself says she didn't read her opponent's remarks that way. Coverage:

• "She told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the US," Townsend said after the match. The Athletic says Ostapenko appears to have used the phrase "no education" three times during their argument. "I'm looking forward to it," Townsend added, referring to a future match. "I beat her in Canada outside the US. So let's see what else she has to say."
• Watch the moment here.

• Ostapenko said on social media that Townsend won a crucial point on a net ball and didn't apologize. USA Today explains: "It is a common courtesy for players to acknowledge if they win a point after the ball clips the net, although not mandatory." Ostapenko wrote that she told Townsend "she was very disrespectful." She also objected to Townsend warming up at the net, instead of the service line, as is customary. "There are some rules in tennis that most of the players follow and it was first time that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn't mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants."
• Ostapenko also wrote that many people online were accusing her of racism. "I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world," she wrote, per the Guardian. "For me it doesn't matter where you come from."
• Townsend, for her part, said in her post-match interview that she hadn't read race into the argument. "That's something you're going to have to ask her," she said. "I didn't take it in that way but also that has been a stigma in [the Black] community of being not educated ... when it's the furthest thing from the truth. So whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on."
• Ostapenko is ranked 25th in the world, while Townsend is not in the top 100, notes CNN. However, Townsend is No. 1 in doubles.