"Give Taylor Townsend a break"; "Jelena Ostapenko is right": Fans divided after noticing strange New York detail in 'no education' row at US Open

Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko’s second-round clash at the 2025 US Open turned into a chaotic affair and has since become one of the most talked-about matches of the tournament. What grabbed even more attention was a peculiar comment Townsend made afterwards, which sparked plenty of reaction from fans.

Unseeded Townsend knocked out No. 25 seed Ostapenko in the second round in New York on Wednesday, August 27, with a 7-5, 6-1 win. The American now moves on to the third round, where she will face Mirra Andreeva.

The match ended with a tense exchange at the net, as Ostapenko confronted Townsend right after the handshake. She took issue with the American’s conduct, pointing out that Townsend hadn’t apologized for a key net-cord point and had chosen to warm up at the net instead of the baseline.

Later, in her on-court interview, Taylor Townsend shared details of her exchange with Jelena Ostapenko. According to her, the Latvian told her she had “no class and education” and warned that she would “see what happens” if they met outside the US. She fired back by reminding Ostapenko that she had already beaten her in Canada, before adding New York to the list, saying it was “outside the US” as well.

"She told me I have no class, no education, and to see what happens when we get outside the US. I’m looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the US. I beat her in New York, outside the US. So let’s see what else she has to say," the American said.

Fans quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to react. While some backed Jelena Ostapenko and echoed her “no education” remark, others felt Taylor Townsend deserved a "break.

"She was flustered. Give her a break," one user wrote.

"Everyone's banging on her for saying "in New York, outside the US", but this was obviously a slip. Her opponent's comments were truly low class," another wrote.

"Wow.....no education is some old timey insulting. I've never heard of Taylor Townsend before this but I respect her holding her own after this," one user posted.

"'I beat her in NY, outside the US.' Hmmmh just maybe miss Penko is right," one user commented.

"She's heated so it's all good, but you don't fight allegations that you have no education by saying you beat her in NY, outside the US," another joined in.

"Did she just say New York is outside the US? Maybe her education is lacking," one account tweeted.

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Jelena Ostapenko issues clarification after US Open controversy with Taylor Townsend

Jelena Ostapenko pictured at the 2025 US Open | Image Source: Getty

Right after her heated US Open clash with Taylor Townsend, Jelena Ostapenko took to Instagram to share her side of the story. She explained what had happened from her perspective and detailed the behavior from her opponent that left her frustrated.

Ostapenko wrote:

"Just a small update about the match. Today after the match I told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn't say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn't have to say sorry at all. There are some rules in tennis that most players follow and it was the first time ever that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland that doesn't mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants."

"In the beginning of the match all players are supposed to start warm up on the baseline. The opponent came out and straight away started the warm up at the net which is very disrespectful and against the rules of a tennis match," the Latvian added.

For now, Ostapenko will try to leave the drama behind as she turns her attention to her doubles match with Barbora Krejcikova.