After their second-round match at the US Open, where the unseeded American defeated the 25th-seeded Ostapenko 7-5, 6-1, Elena Ostapenko was accused of lacking “class” during a wry on-court argument between the two players.
At the conclusion of the game on Wednesday, Ostapenko struck out to Townsend during a cold handshake before the net.
Ostapenko repeatedly yelled at her opponent, and Townsend once said, “I don’t have to do anything. The American eventually left the room, shook the chair umpire’s hand, and hurriedly slammed the crowd.
After the game, Townsend told reporters, “She told me I have no education, no class, and I want to see what happens.”
I remarked, “I’m excited, bring it.” Never have I had to step back from something like that. Simply put, I found it to be very interesting.
There is no beef here. I didn’t turn back, as you guys saw, especially after treating myself in a certain way with nothing but respect because you guys are not going to insult me.
I expect respect from you as well. That is the truth, of course; it was unfortunate, but I am aware of it now and use it on my TikTok.
I let my racket talk, and that is what makes me most proud. Because I’m ultimately sitting in front of you guys, moving on to the next round, receiving the next check, moving on, and that’s what matters most.
She has been taken and packed up. The only thing that matters is that I am present. ”
Taylor Townsend was accused of being disrespectful during their game by Elena Ostapenko [Clive Brunskill/Getty Images via AFP] [Getty Images]
Very disrespectful
In a post on Instagram, Ostapovenko claimed she was angry with Townsend for not acknowledging a net to her during the game.
Townsend also charged that starting her pre-game warm-up at the net had broken protocol, according to the 28-year-old.
I apologized to my opponent after the match because she had a net ball in a crucial moment and didn’t say sorry. But Ostapenko replied, “She didn’t have to apologize,” Ostapenko said.
It was my first time ever experiencing this while on a tour because of some rules that most tennis players adhere to.
She can behave and carry out her wishes if she plays in her home country, but that doesn’t imply that. ”
Townsend was unaware of the Latvian’s remarks, so Ostapenko’s explanation failed to impress her.
Townsend remarked, “I mean, it’s sports.” People seem to have gotten a little soft, in my opinion. I won’t lie, I promise. It is competitive. Talk trash is common. People say things, I know. People become insane, whatever.
Everyone has a right to feel what they are feeling, according to the statement. Don’t try to exceed my expectations, though. It’s your fault, not mine, if you expect someone to apologize but they don’t, and you become angry over it. ”
Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s number one, revealed to Ostapenko that she had spoken with the Latvian after the incident, and that she was in favor of her.
She is nice, Sabalenka said of Ostapenko, “I have to say that.” She sometimes struggles to control her emotions, which is difficult.
At least 14 people were killed and dozens of others were hurt in a rare attack by Russia on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, according to authorities, which included a drone and missile attack.
As Russian projectiles flooded through various Ukrainian capital districts, powerful explosions strode through the predawn sky, leaving columns of smoke in columns.
The assault was the first significant combined attack on Kyiv in weeks as US-led peace initiatives struggle to retake control of the three-year conflict.
At least 14 people were killed in the assault, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to preliminary information, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that two children were among the dead.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, characterized it as a “massive attack” causing extensive harm. He claimed that 30 of the injured were hospitalized, of which at least 38 were hurt.
Moscow launched ballistic and cruise missiles, along with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, from various directions “systematically” targeting residential buildings.
As defenders attempted to intercept drones above the city center, red tracer rounds drew near-incidental colors, with at least one missile allegedly being shot down. Some 100 people opted for sleeping bags or pets and sought shelter in a subway station.
According to Klitschko, a five-storey building in the Darnytskyi district fell when a shopping mall in the city center was struck.
Russian forces were also reported on Thursday in the Zaporizhia region by Ukrainian authorities.
More than 100 Ukrainian drones were claimed to have been destroyed overnight by Russian authorities, and an attack reportedly set off fire at an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region.
As a result of increased diplomatic efforts, Russian forces have recently made sluggish but steady territorial gains. Trump recently had high-profile encounters with Zelenskyy, the president of Russia, and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, in Alaska.
However, diplomatic progress is still slow. Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine requests guarantees for future Russian attacks from the West. Russia has refrained from making any demands of Kyiv’s, especially those that oppose Western peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.
On August 20, Islamabad, Pakistan- , India announced that its intermediate-range ballistic missile, Agni-V, had been successfully tested fired from a range in Odisha on its eastern Bay of Bengal coast.
The Agni-V, meaning “fire” in Sanskrit, is 17.5 metres long, weighs 50, 000kg, and can carry more than 1, 000kg of nuclear or conventional payload. It is one of the world’s fastest ballistic missiles, capable of traveling more than 5,000 kilometers at nearly 30 000 km per hour at hypersonic speeds of nearly 30 000 km/h.
According to experts, the Agni test took place exactly a week after Pakistan announced the formation of a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) to address deficiencies in its defensive posture exposed by India during the four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May.
But experts say the latest Indian test might be a message less for Pakistan and more for another neighbour that New Delhi is cautiously warming up to again: China.
Most of Asia, including parts of China’s northern regions, and parts of Europe are within reach thanks to the Agni’s range. The missile’s timing, according to analysts, was crucial even though this was its 10th test since 2012 and its first since March of last year.
It came just ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, amid a thaw in ties – after years of tension over their disputed border – that has been accelerated by United States President Donald Trump’s tariff war against India. In response to tensions over New Delhi’s oil purchases from Russia, US tariffs on Indian goods increased to 50%  on Wednesday.
Despite this teasing, India continues to see China as its main threat in the region, according to experts, underscoring the complex relationship between the world’s two most populous countries. And it’s at China that India’s development of medium and long-range missiles is primarily aimed, they say.
India’s advantage with missiles over Pakistan
India admitted losing an unspecified number of fighter jets in the May skirmish with Pakistan, but it also caused significant damage to Pakistani military installations, particularly with its supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles.
The BrahMos, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional payloads of up to 300kg, has a range of about 500km. Its low altitude, terrain-hugging trajectory, and blistering speed make it difficult to intercept, making it relatively easy to penetrate Pakistani territory.
This context, according to many experts, demonstrates that Pakistan’s announcement of the ARFC is not directly connected to the Agni-V test. Instead, they say, the test was likely a signal to China. Before Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia in October 2024, the two countries engaged in a deadly standoff along their disputed Himalayan border for four years following a deadly clash.
First time visiting China since 2018, Modi will make the trip to the SCO summit on Sunday. In the past, India has often felt betrayed by overtures to China, which, it claims, have frequently been followed by aggression from Beijing along their border.
According to Manpreet Sethi, a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based Center for Air Power Studies, “India’s requirement for a long-range, but not intercontinental, missile is dictated by its threat perception of China.”
A nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of 5, 000 kilometers is Agni-V, which India has developed as a tool for its nuclear deterrence against China. It has no relevance to Pakistan”, Sethi added.
The University at Albany’s assistant professor of political science, Christopher Clary, concurred.
The Agni-V’s main task would be to strike China, he told Al Jazeera, though Pakistan might be a useable country for it. “China’s east coast, where its most economically and politically important cities are situated, is hard to reach from India and requires long-range missiles”.
South Asian missile race
In recent years, India and Pakistan have steadily developed new missile systems with greater reach.
Before announcing the ARFC, Pakistan showcased the Fatah-4, a cruise missile with a 750km range and the capability to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
Meanwhile, India is working on Agni-VI, which is expected to have a range of more than 10,000 kilometers and support multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), an ability that is already present in Agni-V.
MIRV-enabled missiles have a number of nuclear warheads that can strike specific targets, significantly increasing their destructive potential.
Mansoor Ahmed, an honorary lecturer at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, said India’s latest test demonstrates its growing intercontinental missile capabilities.
This test served as a technological demonstration of India’s developing submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capability, Ahmed said, adding that India was working on various Agni variants with multiple capabilities.
India will be able to deploy 200 to 300 warheads on its SSBN force alone over the next ten years, he added. SSBNs (ship, submersible, ballistic, nuclear) are nuclear-powered submarines designed to carry SLBMs armed with nuclear warheads. Two more SSBNs are currently being constructed in India, and two are already in use.
In contrast, there are no nuclear submarines or long-range missiles in Pakistan. Its longest-range operational ballistic missile, the Shaheen-III, has a range of 2, 750km.
The first ballistic missile capable of hitting anywhere in South Asia with MIRV technology, Ababeel, is the shortest-range, MIRV-enabled system ever deployed in any nuclear-armed state, according to Ahmed.
Former Pakistani army brigadier and expert on nuclear policy, Tughral Yamin, said missile ambitions reflect different priorities.
“Pakistan’s programme is entirely Indian-specific and defensive in nature, while India’s ambitions extend beyond the subcontinent. According to Yamin, the author of The Evolution of Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia, its long-range systems are designed to help it become a global power, especially in relation to China, and establish itself as a great power with effective deterrence against major powers.
However, some experts contend that India is not the only country that is involved in Pakistan’s missile development program.
Ashley J Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), said that while “India wants to be able to range China and Pakistan”, Islamabad is building the capability to keep Israel – and even the US – in its range, in addition to India.
Tellis told Al Jazeera, “Both countries’ conventional missile force is designed to strike critical targets without putting manned strike aircraft in danger.”
US concerns about Pakistan’s ambitions, and a quiet acceptance of India’s rise
Pakistan’s missile programme came under intense spotlight in December last year when a senior White House official warned of Islamabad’s growing ambitions.
In a statement from Jon Finer, a member of the then-Biden administration, Finer referred to Pakistan’s “emerging threat” to the United States.
On the eve of Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day on August 14, 2025, in Islamabad, an AP photo was taken.
“If the trend continues, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States”, Finer said during an event at the CEIP.
Tellis argued that Washington and its allies don’t consider India’s growing arsenal to be destabilizing.
Tellis cited the US’s arrest of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 as an example of how Pakistan’s capabilities are unsettling because the country’s nuclear program had anti-Western overtones and sentiments that have since changed with the Abbottabad raid.
Ahmed, the Canberra-based academic, said India’s long-range missile development is openly supported by Western powers as part of the US-led Asia Pacific strategy.
“India has been viewed and encouraged to act as a net security provider by the US and the European powers.” Without signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he claimed, the civil nuclear agreement between India and the US and the waiver by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gave India de facto nuclear weapons.
The NPT is a Cold War-era treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and advancing the goal of nuclear disarmament. It formally recognizes only the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain as nuclear weapons states.
India was able to engage in global nuclear trade despite not having signed the NPT, which elevated its status in the eyes of the NSG, a group of 48 countries that sell nuclear materials and technology.
Clary from the University of Albany, however, pointed out that unlike the Biden administration, the current Trump White House has not expressed any concerns about Pakistan’s missile programme – or about India’s Agni-V test.
Inter Miami defeated 10-man Orlando City 3-1 in the final 15 minutes of the match, and Lionel Messi’s two goals and assist set up an MLS League Cup match against Seattle Sounders.
After missing two straight matches with a right thigh injury, Messi scored a penalty in the 77th minute to make Inter 1-1, and he combined with Jordi Alba in the 88th minute to make it 1-1 in the second semifinal on Wednesday.
Miami made it back to the semi-finals of the Leagues Cup, a cross-border competition featuring teams from Major League Soccer and Liga MX, thanks to Telasco Segovia’s injury.
Messi’s first season in the MLS, 2023, won it.
As Javier Mascherano watched from the stands as he was serving a red card suspension, “We are at a loss for words when it comes to talking about Leo Messi,” said Javier Morales, the Inter assistant coach.
He played 90 minutes, and the way he played created situations where he scored goals. He only trained for two or three days.
Messi admitted to feeling some reluctance after only playing once since August 2 when he was injured.
He said, “I knew how crucial it was to play against a very tough opponent who had defeated us in both of our previous games this year,” adding, “I prepared.” “In the first half, I was a little afraid, but I gradually loosened up.”
After the Sounders defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 in California to claim the title, Miami will travel to Seattle for the Sunday final.
Pedro de la Vega and Osaze Rosario both scored in the seventh minute and Osaze Rosario added another goal for the Sounders, who held on with 10 men after Nouhou Tolo was shown a yellow card for a sliding tackle on Gabriel Pec.
The winner of the third-place playoff between Orlando and Los Angeles will also receive a regional tournament ticket, with both of the finalists guaranteed to advance to the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
In the @LeaguesCup final, @SoundersFC will play @InterMiamiCF. pic. twitter.com/E5gc0c0qVh
Miguel Uribe, the 15-year-old shooter of Colombia’s presidential candidate, who was killed in August after being attacked in June, has received a seven-year juvenile detention sentence.
The teenager shot the right-wing politician in the head at a campaign event in Bogota, according to prosecutors’ a statement on Wednesday. The victim “must remain in a specialized care center for seven years, deprived of liberty.”
Because Colombian law forbids changing charges after they have been accepted by a minor defendant, the teen was charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons, not homicide.
A 39-year-old opposition legislator died on August 11 from a cerebral hemorrhage after two months of intensive care in Bogota.
In Colombia, five presidential candidates were shot in the second half of the 20th century, which was akin to the worst years of political violence there.
Before the June 7 attack, video footage of Uribe addressing a rally in a working-class neighborhood of Bogota revealed gunshots. In the midst of hundreds of supporters’ screams, the bloody candidate fell.
Additional five people have been detained.
Before the candidate’s bodyguards could inflict wounds and detain the shooter, the minor shot Uribe three times, including twice in the head.
Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to advance to the third round of the US Open, while Carlos Alcaraz triumphed decisively in straight sets.
On Wednesday, Alcaraz defeated Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-6, 6-3 on the Arthur Ashe Stadium main court in just one hour and 36 minutes. Alcaraz faces Djokovic in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows if the draw follows the seedings.
The 22-year-old Spanish second seed defeated the 65th-ranked Bellucci, whose best Grand Slam performance came with a bid to Wimbledon’s third round earlier this year. The 22-year-old unfurled a string of 32 winners in a dominant display.
Alcaraz, 32nd seed Luciano Darderi, and another Italian in the next round, will face “I played great, from the beginning until the last ball,” Alcaraz said.
He continued, “The more time I spend on court, the better it is for me to go to bed early.”
After falling four sets to American qualifier Zachary Svajda, Serbian legend Djokovic kept his goal of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title alive.
However, Djokovic was forced to redouble after losing the first set before coming away with a 7-6 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win.
The 38-year-old stated that as the tournament progresses, he hopes to improve himself as a result, despite not being at his best.
He said, “That’s what I’m hoping, the more I feel about my game the more I advance,”
With his victory, Djokovic will advance to the third round of the US Open, where he will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who defeated argentine Francisco Comesana 7-6 (7 / 5), 6-3, 6-7 (0 / 7), 7-6 (7 / 4), in a record-equal 19th time.
Casper Ruud, the 2022 US Open finalist, lost to Belgium’s Raphael Collignon 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in other men’s tennis action on Wednesday.
Fourth seed Taylor Fritz advanced safely, beating South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-4.
19 US Open appearances. Third round: 19 times.
Novak Djokovic will always be available. pic. twitter.com/mzi6vJmt7c
Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion and world number one, defeated unseeded Russian Polina Kudermetova 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 to advance to the next round of the women’s draw.
Sabalenka asserted her control in the second set after taking the first set of a tie-break. In the third round, the Belarusian will face Leylah Fernandez from Canada.
“The first set was extremely aggressive and tight.” I was relieved to be free from that pressure and to give it back to her. I felt much better in the return game in the second set.
[Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP] Aryna Sabalenka defeated Polina Kudermetova in straight sets to advance to the third round.
Emma Raducanu of Great Britain defeated Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1, to extend her strong start to the tournament.
In 21 years, Tjen had become the first Indonesian player to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam, and he followed up with a first-round upset win over Veronika Kudermetova, the 24th seed.
But Raducanu, who is aiming to reclaim the US Open title she won as a qualifier aged 18, comfortably outperforms her. Elena Rybakina, the ninth seed, will face Raducanu in the following round.
Tjen’s tournament came to an end as well, as did Filipina Alexandra Eala, a second player from Southeast Asia.
Cristina Bucsa of Spain defeated Eala 6-4, 6-3 to make history as the first Filipino player to win a Grand Slam singles match since her defeat of 14th seed Clara Tauson on Sunday.
After defeating Russian Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6 (6), fourth seed Jessica Pegula advances to the third round. Victoria Azarenka, a 36-year-old two-time Australian Open champion from Belarus, defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3 to claim a victory.
