US Open foes Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko get into a tense back-and-forth after match

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Open opponents Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko got into a face-to-face argument on the Court 11 sideline right after Townsend won their second-round match 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday.

Townsend, an American who is ranked No. 1 in doubles, said Ostapenko, a Latvian, who won the 2017 French Open, told her she has “no class” and “no education.”

A reporter asked Townsend, who is Black, whether she thought there were racial undertones to those comments.

“I didn’t take it in that way, but also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of being ‘not educated’ and all of the things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth,” Townsend responded.

“So whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on," Townsend said. "The only thing that I’m worried about right now is continuing to move forward through this tournament.”

Ostapenko later posted on social media about “how many messages I received that I am a racist.”

“I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me it doesn't matter where you come from,” she wrote.

After the two players met at the net for a postmatch handshake, they stayed near each other instead of going their separate ways, as usually happens. The 25th-seeded Ostapenko wagged a finger at Townsend as they spoke.

“It’s competition,” Townsend said. “People get upset when they lose.”

When they finally stopped talking, Townsend went over to the stands and egged on the partisan crowd, waving her arm overhead and the noise from spectators only grew louder.

She and Ostapenko have faced each other before in both singles and doubles.

“There’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no beef on my side," Townsend said. “She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the U.S. I said, ‘I’m excited. Bring it.’ I’ve never been the one to back down from anything like that.”

Ostapenko went on social media to post what she called, “Just a small update about the match.”

She wrote that Townsend was “disrespectful” for not saying “sorry” after being helped by a net cord during a point.

“There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was (the) first time ever that this happened to me on tour,” Ostapenko posted. “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn't mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.”

Ostapenko also complained that Townsend began warming up before the match up at the net, instead of back at the baseline. While most players do begin at the baseline, Townsend noted that she has started with volleying for years.

Ostapenko has gotten into kerfuffles with opponents during matches before, including in 2021 when she lost to Alja Tomljanovic at Wimbledon. Tomljanovic accused Ostapenko of lying about needing to leave the court for a medical timeout to address an abdominal issue.

Townsend recently moved to the top of the WTA doubles rankings. But this is her first time reaching the third round in singles at a Grand Slam tournament since 2023.

In singles, Townsend is No. 139. She is the lowest-ranked American woman to beat a past Grand Slam champion in singles at a major since Kristie Ahn defeated — guess who? — Ostapenko at the 2019 U.S. Open.

“The thing that I’m the most proud of is that I let my racket talk. Because ultimately, I’m the one here, sitting in front of you guys, moving on to the next round, getting the next check, moving on, being able to still be here and speak to you guys, and that’s what’s the most important," Townsend said Wednesday. “She’s packed up and she’s gone.”

FILE - Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Aug. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis, File)

FILE - Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Aug. 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis, File)

Alex de Minaur, of Australia, top in black, serves to Christopher O'Connell, of Australia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly" U.S. strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country's government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” the president posted on his social media site.

His post did not include information about how the strike was carried out, nor what effects it had. But the U.S. Africa Command posted on X that it had “conducted a strike at the request of Nigerian authorities in Soboto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”

“Lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad,” its post said.

The Defense Department did not immediately answer requests for comment.

In response to Trump's previous criticisms, Nigeria's government says that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered attacks at the hands of extremists groups.

Still, last month, Trump said he’d ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution. The State Department has also announced it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the West African country.

And the U.S. recently designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump wrote in his Christmas night post.

He said that U.S. defense officials had “executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing" and added that “our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

But attacks in Nigeria often have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.

The U.S. security footprint has diminished in Africa, where military partnerships have either been scaled down or canceled. U.S. forces likely would have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any military intervention in Nigeria.

Trump has nonetheless kept up the pressure as Nigeria faced a series of attacks on schools and churches in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday night on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.”

Hegseth said that U.S. military forces are “always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas” and added, “More to come…Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation” before signing off, “Merry Christmas!”

President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)