Townsend, the world’s top-ranked doubles player, beat the 2017 French Open champion 7-5 6-1 on Wednesday, but tensions flared after a net cord went in her favour and Ostapenko accused her of not apologising.
The pair shared a frosty handshake at the net before engaging in a heated argument by Ostapenko’s chair, with on-court microphones capturing Townsend telling her rival to “take the L [loss].”
“She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other outside of the US,” Townsend, 29, told reporters afterwards. “I said, I’m excited, bring it on.”
Townsend then roused the New York crowd with a wild celebration, while Ostapenko left Court 11 to a chorus of boos.
Despite the confrontation, Townsend insisted she bore no lasting grudge.
“There’s no beef,” she said. “But I didn’t back down because you’re not going to insult me, especially after I carried myself with respect. If I show respect to you, I expect the same back.”
Ostapenko, 28, later took to Instagram, calling Townsend “very disrespectful” and accusing her of ignoring an unwritten rule that players apologise after a lucky net cord.
“If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean she can behave and do whatever she wants,” she wrote.
Townsend, however, dismissed Ostapenko’s remarks.
“Saying I have no education and no class, I don’t really take that personally, because I know that it’s so far from the truth,” she said. “If I allow what other people have to say to affect me, then they win.”
Asked whether she thought Ostapenko’s comments carried racial undertones, Townsend — who is African-American — replied:
“I didn’t take it in that way. But that stigma has been used in our community, of being not educated, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. Whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on.”
Ostapenko later denied her remarks were racially motivated, posting:
“I was never racist in my life. I respect all nations of people in the world. For me, it doesn’t matter where you come from.”
The incident adds to Ostapenko’s reputation for on-court volatility. The Latvian has previously been fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.