Ostapenko apologises for 'no education' Townsend comments

Jelena Ostapenko (left) had a row with Taylor Townsend (right) after their match on Wednesday

Jelena Ostapenko has apologised for accusing opponent Taylor Townsend of having "no education" earlier this week.

American Townsend said the former French Open champion told her she had "no class" and "no education" after her 7-5 6-1 win in the second round of the US Open.

Tension escalated after a net cord went in Townsend's favour and 25th seed Ostapenko accused her of failing to apologise.

Though Townsend said she did not believe there were racial overtones to Ostapenko's comments, former world number one Naomi Osaka said the suggestion that Townsend was uneducated was "one of the worst things you could say to a black tennis player".

Without naming Townsend, Latvian Ostapenko wrote on Instagram: "Hi all - I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match.

"English is not my native language, so when I said education I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette. But I understand how the words used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.

"I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year."

The incident occurred at the end of the match when the two players met to shake hands.

Townsend revealed after a doubles win on Saturday that she had not heard personally from Ostapenko, but welcomed the public apology.

"That's nice that she did that, that she apologised," said Townsend. "That's fine. That's cool. At the end of the day, I think that it's a learning lesson for her.

"Like I said when everything first happened, you cannot push your expectations on other people. That's ultimately what happened. She expected for me to react a certain type of way, and I didn't, and it infuriated her.

"Which led her to say things that are hurtful, that are belligerent, that are offensive, not only to me, but to the sport and to a whole culture of people that I try to do my best to represent the best that I can.

"I really hope from this she can take that... you can't control people and it's better just to focus on yourself."

Ostapenko, 28, confronted Townsend for not apologising for a net cord, which had occurred during the first set, then accused the American of having "no education".

A net-cord winner is when a player wins a point because their shot hits the tape of the net and lands on the side of their opponent.

It is not a rule to apologise for a net cord, but some players feel it courteous to do so.

After the confrontation, on-court microphones picked up 29-year-old Townsend telling Ostapenko to "take the L [loss]".

Townsend, the world number one doubles player, then whipped the crowd into a frenzy by celebrating with them wildly.

Boos rang around Court 11 as Ostapenko departed.

Ostapenko, who described Townsend as "disrespectful" on Instagram after the match, posted later on Wednesday to deny accusations of racism.

"I was never racist in my life," she wrote.

"I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn't matter where you come from."

Ostapenko's US Open came to an end on Thursday, when she lost a doubles match with Barbora Krejcikova, who will play Townsend in the fourth round of the singles on Sunday.

She failed to fulfil media duties afterwards, citing medical issues.