Osaka condemns Ostapenko over heated US Open row with Townsend

NEW YORK :Naomi Osaka said using words like "no education" and "no class" to criticise a Black tennis player were among the worst things to say as the debate over a heated row between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko raged on at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Townsend, who is Black, overcame 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5 6-1 in a tough second-round battle a day earlier but the real tension came shortly after match point when the pair verbally duelled at the net, with the Latvian repeatedly wagging her finger at the American.

Townsend revealed a part of the exchange during her on-court interview, after which she said in a press conference that Ostapenko would have to answer if there were "racial undertones" to the altercation.

Ostapenko said on Instagram later that her anger stemmed from Townsend's refusal to apologise after winning a point at a pivotal moment when her ball clipped the net and stayed in play, as she accused the American of being "disrespectful".

The Latvian added in another statement that she had never been racist in her life, but Osaka weighed in saying the words Ostapenko used during the altercation were in bad taste.

"It's one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport," four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka said.

"I know Taylor and I know how hard she's worked and I know how smart she is, so she's the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that."

Osaka, born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement both in the United States, where she resides, and in Japan and was lauded for supporting the campaign during her run to the Flushing Meadows title in 2020.

The 27-year-old had used her