“Real love” – Naomi Osaka delights Taylor Townsend with nod to American’s dramatic confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko at US Open

On Monday, US Open semifinalist Naomi Osaka dropped her latest photodump, which included a viral confrontation between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko at the recently concluded US Open.

The Instagram carousel included her glimpses from her time in New York, featuring several selfies, a picture of her on the wall, her player’s guest pass for dining access and hitting the barber’s shop. However, what stole the attention was the final picture in the post.

The picture shows Townsend getting into a heated moment with Ostapenko after defeating her 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the US Open. In the routine post-handshake, Ostapenko appeared to wag a finger, and Townsend fired back with confidence. Osaka included the moment in her photodump, inviting a reaction from Townsend.

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Under the comments section, Townsend had nothing but love for Osaka, who quietly slid in the viral confrontation in her US Open dump. She commented:

"LAST SLIDE HAS ME ON THE FLOOR 😂 love how you slid that in there 😭 real love ❤️💜."

Osaka responded in kind, telling Townsend:

"I love you TT 🤣❤️❤️."

Their playful exchange over the Instagram post was not limited to this particular moment. In another comment, Townsend jokingly asked Osaka about her outfit at the US Open:

"Question.. what was the finals labubu going to be called? 😂❤️"

Osaka admitted she had been planning to debut a special look, writing:

"Maybe Glowsaka and it was gonna be my outfit from last year. I’m sickkkkkkk."

At the 2025 US Open, Naomi Osaka enjoyed her best run at a Grand Slam event since becoming a mother in July 2023. She defeated French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round and subsequently made her way into the semifinal where she was defeated by Amanda Anisimova.

Aftermatch of viral confrontation between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko

As far as the viral confrontation between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko goes, the American tennis star revealed Ostapenko had allegedly said she had "no class," "no education," and taunted her to see what happens "outside the U.S."

"I didn't take it in that way, but also, you know, 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," Townsend said.

"So whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on. The only thing that I'm worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament."

Ostapenko defended herself, citing Townsend’s failure to apologize for a net-cord lucky shot during the match and calling Townsend’s conduct disrespectful. She also issued a broader apology to those suggesting that her comments were racist. Ostapenko said she respects "all nations of people in the world."

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Krutik Jain

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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