Naomi Osaka condemns Jelena Ostapenko over heated US Open row with Taylor Townsend

NEW YORK – Naomi Osaka said using words like “no education” and “no class” to criticise a black tennis player were among the worst things to say, as the debate over a heated row between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko raged on at the US Open on Aug 28.

Townsend, who is black, overcame Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1 in a tough second-round battle a day earlier but the real tension came shortly after match point when the pair verbally duelled at the net, with the Latvian repeatedly wagging her finger at the American.

Townsend revealed a part of the exchange during her on-court interview, after which she said in a press conference that Ostapenko would have to answer if there were “racial undertones” to the altercation.

Ostapenko said on Instagram later her anger stemmed from Townsend’s refusal to apologise after winning a point when her ball clipped the net and stayed in play, as she accused the American of being “disrespectful”.

The Latvian added in another statement that she had never been racist in her life, but Osaka weighed in saying the words Ostapenko used during the altercation were in bad taste.

“It’s one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport,” four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said.

“I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked and I know how smart she is, so she’s the furthest thing from uneducated.”

Osaka, born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement both in the United States, where she resides, and in Japan and was lauded for supporting the campaign during her run to the Flushing Meadows title in 2020.

She had used her platform to highlight racial injustice in the US to a wider audience by wearing a different black face mask – each bearing the name of an African American who had been killed in recent years – before each one of her seven matches.

“If you’re like genuinely asking me about the history of Ostapenko, I don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said. I’m going to be honest,” she continued with a smile.

“I think it’s ill timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America. I know she’s never going to say that ever again in her life, but it was just terrible.”

Shifting her attention to the main cause of the controversy, Osaka said that she would not care if an opponent apologised or not for a net cord.

“It’s up to the person whether they apologise or not, but if it’s really close, I can see why they don’t apologise,” she said.

Osaka, 27, was speaking as she cruised through to the third round, overwhelming American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 in a dominant performance.

The two-time US Open champion had not reached the third round at Flushing Meadows since 2021 but looked very comfortable as she booked a meeting with 15th seed Daria Kasatkina, who beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Meanwhile, second seed Iga Swiatek, who arrived in New York after collecting her sixth Slam at Wimbledon and winning the Cincinnati tune-up, had to battle hard to beat unseeded Suzan Lamens 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Another key match saw former US Open champion Coco Gauff defeat unseeded Croat Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, despite a litany of service errors.

In the men’s draw, Jannik Sinner kept his bid to win back-to-back US Open titles firmly on track with an emphatic demolition of Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. The Italian world No. 1 needed just 2hr 1min to dispatch Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

“Today, it felt like neither of us served well but I was returning well and especially on the second serve. I am aiming to improve on the serve but the rest (of my game) I am quite comfortable with,” said Sinner.

Coleman Wong, meanwhile, will take his fairy-tale US Open campaign into the third round after defeating Australia’s Adam Walton in four sets.

Wong, who became the first player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam singles match since the Open era began in 1968 with his victory in the previous round, produced a composed performance to triumph 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

The 21-year-old plays 15th seed Andrey Rublev next. REUTERS, AFP