Published On 30 Aug 202530 Aug 2025Taylor Townsend is in the spotlight at the US Open as a result of an interaction she wishes had never taken place.Townsend said Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education” during a face-to-face argument after their second-round match on Wednesday.A huge crowd cheered her on in doubles on Thursday, and Townsend made the most of a spot in prime time at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night, upsetting fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2.Going into this Grand Slam, Townsend had nowhere near the star power or the name recognition of fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and she is not even seeded in singles play. Yet the 29-year-old, who is half of the top-ranked women’s doubles team in the world and was No 1 as a junior player, has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament through no fault of her own.“It’s bigger than me,” she said on the court after the match. “It’s about the message, it’s about the representation, it’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself and I did that tonight. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight.”Townsend hopes the attention around the confrontation and her calling attention to it can be a positive for the US Open and tennis in general.“If I’m someone who can draw huge crowds into the stadiums as a name that can bring people to come and buy tickets and support the game, then that’s a crown that I’ll gladly wea …
