'There’s no space for that in the sport' - Tennis Channel analysts condemn Jelena Ostapenko's ugly comments to Taylor Townsend

There have been several talking points surrounding this year's Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, with the most recent being the tense moment between Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend after their second round clash on Tuesday.

During the heated US Open encounter, a shot from Townsend clipped the net cord before falling on Ostapenko's side of the court. Although the Latvian got to the ball, she would end up committing an error, giving Townsend the point.

Although an unspoken rule states a player should apologize should that happen, Townsend did no such thing. This would boil over at the end of the match, which Townsend won, as Ostapenko confronted the American at the net and accused her of having “no class and no education.”

Both ladies would exchange words for a few moments, before Townsend walked away from Ostapenko. The doubles World No.1 would later share what transpired during her on-court interview, and state she had no dispute with the former Roland Garros champion prior to their second round match on Tuesday.

Townsend praised for her classy response

During the post-match analysis on The Tennis Channel, the incident was reviewed by tennis pundits. Tennis Channel analyst Prakash Amritraj lauded Townsend for not stooping to Ostapenko's level, while disapproving of the manner in which the latter handled the situation.

"It came from an ugly place and there’s no space for that in the sport,” said Amritraj. “Like in a lot of situations, you have to consider the source. When someone’s going personal like this, you have to consider where it’s coming from. Ostapenko hasn’t been great in a lot of these situations as you can imagine and a lot of people have pointed out.
"But Taylor didn’t sink to Ostapenko’s level, she rose above it. At the end of the day, it’s going to affect you more if you get dragged into the mud, and I think Taylor did what was right for her and set a great example for everyone else."

Fellow analyst Paul Annacone voiced his approval of Townsend's response, especially after the American tennis star stated in her post-match interview that she would not tolerate being disrespected.

"It was just factual, totally classy,” said Annacone of Townsend’s comments. “It wasn’t emotional. She just kind of said, ‘Look, stuff happens in the heat of the moment. I didn’t back down.’
“I just thought it was so well done and it doesn’t surprise me at all. Taylor Townsend is a class act and an amazing competitor. I’m just so proud of her, that she’s playing great tennis and that she stated fact, and lives to play another day."

In addition to competing in the doubles event alongside partner Katerina Siniakova, Townsend is set to face Russian No.1 Mirra Andreeva for a spot in the round of 16.