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Ostapenko Screams at Opponent's Coach Mid-Match at US Open
Confirmed
In Short: Jelena Ostapenko erupted during a US Open doubles match, confronting the coach of her opponents and urging the umpire to intervene.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open singles champion, found herself in another on-court controversy at the US Open. During a women’s doubles match, Ostapenko confronted the coach of her opponents, Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching, mid-match, according to reports from The Independent and The Indian Express.
The Latvian player accused the coach of clapping and sarcastically praising their shots in Chinese, which Hsieh Su-wei, her partner, translated for her. Ostapenko, who does not speak Chinese, demanded that a Chinese translator be present, according to The Indian Express. She told the umpire that the behavior was "very disrespectful" and urged the official to intervene.
Ostapenko’s outburst was not the first of its kind. The Independent reported that a year earlier, at the US Open, she had lashed out at American player Taylor Townsend, calling her "no class" and "no education," which sparked accusations of racism. Ostapenko later apologized, explaining that her words had been misunderstood because English was not her first language.
Despite the controversy, Ostapenko and her partner Hsieh Su-wei managed to channel their anger into a victory, defeating the Australian-Taiwanese pair 6-4, 6-4. Ostapenko celebrated the win by roaring at the opposing box, while Hsieh and Chan did not shake hands at the end of the match, according to The Indian Express.
This incident is part of a pattern of behavior that has seen Ostapenko become known for her fiery on-court demeanor. In a previous match at the US Open, she had also confronted the coach of her opponents, according to The Indian Express. Her outbursts have drawn both criticism and sympathy from the tennis community, with some seeing her as a passionate player and others as a disruptive force.
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- The drama began when Hsieh approached the umpire during a changeover and Ostapenko pointed toward the opposing team's coach, urging the official to intervene.
- “You should respect each other, and that's why I got so angry, and I started to (yell) ‘come on!’ so much. Because these kind of things, they pump me up even more. Then I'm saying (to myself), ‘I'm not gonna lose this match. I can die on court, but I'm not gonna lose this match.’” Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open singles champion, was also involved in a public spat with American player Taylor Townsend at last year’s US Open.