“No, I don’t have to.” A simple refusal last Wednesday at Court 11 turned into a full-blown feud after Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko faced each other. In the second round of the US Open, the local favorite won 7-5, 6-1. But before she could celebrate a good matchup, she had to face an upset Ostapenko. It all started when one of Townsend’s points came via a net cord. Traditionally, when a player wins a point despite their ball striking the net cord, the opponent expects an apology. Townsend, however, wasn’t going to give one. After the match, their sour interaction during the customary handshake gave rise to the feud. Here is how it went:

• The origin: In the post-match on-court ESPN interview, Townsend revealed, “People get upset when they lose, and 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 US.”
• Townsend doubles down on the challenge: In her post-match presser, the American was asked about the fiery back-and-forth again. She simply stated, “It is what it is, you know. Still, there’s no beef. But again, like you guys saw, I didn’t back down, because you’re not gonna insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect. If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well.”
• Ostapenko clears the air: After the match, the Latvian posted on her Instagram, “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 she doesn’t have to say sorry at all.”
• Jelena Ostapenko adds to her reasons: In her Instagram post, the 28-year-old added, “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).”
• Townsend responds: In her post-match presser, a reporter read the post to the American, who only replied, “Everyone has a right to feel how they feel. The problem is, don’t push your expectations on me.”

Ostapenko was focused on her doubles event alongside Barbora Krejčíková so far. But on Friday, it came to an end with a 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 defeat to Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani. The Latvian, then, understood the gap between what she wanted to say and what was said. Ostapenko shared a heartfelt note on her Instagram stories, writing, “Hi all – I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match. English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette.

“But I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court. I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye, New York, and I look forward to being back next year.” While the two players ended the feud, stating there’s no beef, the reporters didn’t want to let the story die that easily. 

In her post-match conference, reporters gave a completely new angle to Ostapenko’s words. When she was asked if there was a racial element to the comments made, Taylor Townsend said, “I’m very proud as a black woman being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture. I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court. 

“So I can’t speak on how she felt about it. That’s something that you’re going to have to ask her. I didn’t take it in that way, but also, that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated and all of the things when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

However, Jelena Ostapenko responded to that statement, posting another Instagram story, “I was never racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from. There are some rules and unfortunately when the crowd is with you, you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent. I always loved to play in the US and the US Open, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way.”

In the end, although Townsend wasn’t looking for an apology after everything went down, the Latvian did clear it all out. Still, the feud had gained attention from the entire tennis world in just a couple of days. What are your thoughts on this incident, though? Stay updated with every play and point from the US Open via our live blog.