Townsend through at US Open but tennis and Ostapenko in spotlight

Due to a conversation she wishes hadn’t occurred, Taylor Townsend is now the subject of a media conversation at the US Open.

After their second-round encounter on Wednesday, Townsend claimed Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education.”

On Thursday, a sizable crowd congratulated her in doubles, and Townsend made the most of a spot in Arthur Ashe Stadium’s prime time on Friday night, defeating Mirra Andreeva, who had won with 7-5, 6-2.

Townsend is not even seeded in singles play, and she did not even have the star power or name recognition of fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula prior to this Grand Slam. The 29-year-old has since become one of the biggest stories of the tournament because of her own fault, having been No 1 as a junior and being half of the world’s top-ranked women’s doubles team.

After the game, she said, “It’s bigger than me.” Being bold and able to appear as yourself, as you say, is what matters, and that’s what I did tonight. It’s about the message, it’s about the representation. Tonight, you guys saw the real Taylor Townsend.

Townsend hopes that the attention garnered by the conflict and her advocacy of it will help the US Open and tennis in general.

“I’ll gladly wear a crown if I can draw large crowds into the stadiums as a name that can draw people to come and buy tickets and support the game,” Townsend said. Whatever it is, whatever kind of attention it received, it is doing what it’s supposed to, which is to draw people in to support the sport.

After Townsend won in straight sets, Ostapenko, a Latvian, and Townsend, who are Black, engaged in a heated back-and-forth. When asked if she believed the remarks had racial undertones, Townsend responded that she didn’t believe them, but that there is a stigma surrounding our community of being “not educated” and all of the things, when it’s the most deceptive thing to say.

Among those who publicly defended Townsend were Naomi Osaka and Gauff. One of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport is what Ostapenko claimed to be saying, according to Townsend.

Townsend claimed that even in private, other players had contacted her to discuss the matter and offer their support. She has surpassed a million social media followers online.

Townsend said, “It’s cool to know that people are watching you and people are seeing you more than anything.” It was just external validation that I handled things the right way, which is what I’m most proud of and happy about because I was hoping it would be received in a certain kind of way, which it was. It’s nice to know that I made people proud of what I said in my answers and when I spoke and I said what I said.

More than a decade after the US Tennis Association banned Townsend from junior competition because of concerns about her fitness, she is currently in the fourth round of the US Open. While she focused on getting in shape, the organization in 2012 stopped funding her tournament appearances.

She and partner Katerina Siniakova have won the Wimbledon title and the Australian Open earlier this year, making it the dominant doubles player in Flushing Meadows.

On Sunday, Townsend will face two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has not advanced past the fourth round of a major.

If she makes it to the quarterfinals this time, she wants to learn that standing up for yourself is acceptable.

In these kinds of situations, Townsend said, it’s important for me to speak up, not just for myself but also for my culture, because in society, especially those of color, we are expected to be silenced. Or there are times when we have to make decisions and be very strategic when we do so.