Townsend advances to U.S. Open third round after clash with Ostapenko

Taylor Townsend advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, but the result was overshadowed by a heated oncourt confrontation between the two players that continued at the sideline and spilled into social media. After the match, Townsend said Ostapenko told her she had "no class" and "no education" and suggested they see what would happen if they met outside the United States. Ostapenko denied the implication of racism and said she had reacted to what she described as unsporting behavior by Townsend during the match.

The exchange began after an otherwise conventional handshake and escalated as the players remained near the net instead of immediately walking to opposite benches. Townsend, who recently reached the top of the WTA doubles rankings and is still building momentum in singles, told reporters she felt compelled to push back. "It is competition. People get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things," she said. Townsend said she did not respond while Ostapenko was playing well but matched intensity as the match turned in her favor. "When she was playing well, I did not say...