Table of Contents
- Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend engaged in a fiery exchange last night after the end of their US Open match
- Still at the US Open, Daniil Medvedev has been fined a whooping $42,500 for his behavior at the tournament by the United States Tennis Association
Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend engaged in a fiery exchange last night after the end of their US Open match.
Tempers started getting high between the two after a net cord went in Townsend’s favor and Ostapenko accused her opponent of not apologizing. Things got worse after the end of the match as the pair confronted each other, with on-court microphones picking up Townsend telling Ostapenko to accept her defeat.
Ostapenko, on the other hand, told Townsend that she should apologize for not warming up in the required way by practising volleys first as the pair continued to air out their views.
Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend were engaged in a heated argument after the end of their US open clash at Flushing Meadows. Photo/ BBC.
After the argument, Townsend, walked away in jubilation as she celebrated advancing to the next round of the US Open with fans. Meanwhile, Ostapenko walked out of the court being booed by fans.
Speaking in the post-match conference, Townsend said that Ostapenko told her she had no class and was not educated.
“She told me I have no class, I have 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 so let’s see what else she has to say.” Sky Sports quotes Townsend.
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Asked if she thinks there were racial undertones on what Ostapenko told her, Townsend responded by saying she didn’t take it that way.
Jelena Ostapenko went ahead and posted on social media that she has never been racist.
“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.” She wrote on Instagram.
Taylor Townsend, who is ranked world number one in doubles, trailed 3-5 in the opening set against Ostapenko but went ahead to record nine straight games to gain the upper hand and clinch the set. With the momentum on her side, she played brilliant tennis in the second set and went on to record 7-5 6-1 win against the 2017 French Open champion.
Townsend has reached the third round of a singles tournament for the first time since 2023. She is world number 139, making her the lowest-ranked American woman to beat a former Grand Slam winner.
Daniil Medvedev heavily fined for misconduct at US Open
Still at the ongoing US Open, Daniil Medvedev has been fined a whooping $42,500 for his behavior at the tournament by the United States Tennis Association.
Medvedev, 29, suffered a meltdown after being knocked out of the US Open by Benjamin Bonzi in the first round. The Russian player erupted after a photographer encroached the playing surface between Bonzi’s first and second serves, and the umpire awarded another serve to Bonzi.
Daniil Medvedev has been fined a total of $42,500 for misconduct during his first-round defeat by Benjamin Bonzi at the US Open a few days ago. Photo/ ESPN.
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Medvedev, who won the championship at Flushing Meadows four years ago, visibly got irritated and asked the New York crowd to boo. This led to a delay of six minutes and 24 seconds as the Medvedev accused the match official of ‘wanting to go home’.
When order was restored, Bonzi went ahead to clinch the set and eventually won the tie 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4. Medvedev repeatedly smacked his racket against his chair after the end of the match. He was fined $12,500 for racket abuse and $30,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, bring his total fine to $42,500.
