Sloane Stephens is standing by compatriot Taylor Townsend, who was recently involved in a war of words with Jelena Ostapenko. Townsend beat the Latvian 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the US Open on Wednesday, August 27.
As the players approached the net to shake hands, an altercation flared up, which continued even after greeting the chair umpire. Ostapenko was furious with Townsend after the latter won a point via a net cord and apparently, didn’t apologize.
The unseeded American claimed that the Latvian questioned her ‘class’ and ‘education’ during their heated exchange. Townsend improved her head-to-head record against the 2017 French Open winner to 2-1.
Sloane Stephens has rallied behind Taylor Townsend, saying she is ‘biased’ towards her friend. The 2017 US Open winner, currently inactive, added that on-court confrontations are not new and that this particular case was blown out of proportion because the American crowd got behind the local player. She also lauded Townsend for the way she reacted to an animated Ostapenko.
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“I think I’m a little biased because I love Taylor. I’ve known her since she was 10 years old. I feel like Taylor showed what class and education she does have," Stephens said (via The Tennis Letter's X handle).
Taylor Townsend is the top-ranked doubles player, and just defeated 25th seed Ostapenko. Stephens opined that the 27-year-old does not deserve to be surrounded by controversy at the moment.
"I don’t like the fact that she’s playing some of the best tennis of her life, she’s gotten to #1 in the world in doubles, she’s playing amazing singles, and these are the types of situations she’s dealing with. This should be celebratory. This should be happy. She shouldn’t have to be dealing with this outside situation," she added.
Stephens concluded by criticizing Ostapenko, suggesting that the Latvian could not control her emotions after losing.
“I don’t think the net cord had anything to do with the match. I think there’s other things that are going on. People are emotional when they lose. 1000 %. Ostapenko is a great player. She didn’t show her class and education here," Stephens said.
"Don’t think that’s the craziest thing she’s said" - Naomi Osaka on Jelena Ostapenko after courtside argument with Taylor Townsend
The controversial incident between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko stirred up racism allegations against the Latvian.
Naomi Osaka slammed Ostapenko for her remarks on Townsend's education. The Japanese star added that the Latvian has a history of losing control of her emotions. Osaka said (via Yahoo Sports):
“Obviously, it’s one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport. 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 or anything like that. If you’re 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."
Jelena Ostapenko dismissed racism allegations and continued calling out Taylor Townsend for apparently not following rules.
