American Taylor Townsend has enjoyed an upset win over 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open, with the pair clashing at the net after the match.
After taking down the former French Open winner 7-5, 6-1 on Court 11, Townsend let out a celebratory roar before approaching Ostapenko for the customary handshake.
As is often the case with the Latvian, she took issue with her opponent, telling Townsend, "you have to say sorry" when a shot hits the net cord and helps a player win a point.
Townsend retorted, "No, I don't have to," as the raucous home crowd jeered and the argument continued.
"You can learn how to take a loss better: 'Thank you so much, great job, great play,'" Townsend told Ostapenko, who appeared to swear at the fans as she packed up her bags.
Townsend then fired up the crowd while pointing back at her opponent, and explained what went down in her on-court interview.
"It's competition, people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things," Townsend said.
"She told me I have no class and no education and to see what happens when we get outside the US.
"I'm looking forward to it. I beat her in Canada outside the US, I beat her in New York [inside] the US, so let's see what else she has to say."
Townsend next meets fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the third round, already equalling the American world number 139's deepest run at her home slam since 2019.
Top men's seeds out
Andreeva's counterpart on the men's side, fifth seed Jack Draper, was forced to pull out before his second-round meeting, while 2022 finalist Casper Ruud was knocked out in five sets as his troubled season continues.
Draper could not take the court against Zizou Bergs due to an arm injury after reaching the second round with a win over Argentine qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez.
During his opener, he was dealing with a left-arm issue that had kept him out of action since he lost in the second round of Wimbledon last month.
"I'm sorry to say I'll be withdrawing from the US Open," Draper said on social media.
"I tried my very best to be here and give myself every chance to play, but the discomfort in my arm has become too much, and I have to do what is right and look after myself. Thank you for all the support."
Draper wore a sleeve on his left arm during the singles, but did not sport one during his brief mixed doubles tilt with Jessica Pegula.
The 23-year-old reached the semifinals of last year's US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
Meanwhile, Ruud suffered his second loss to a player ranked outside the top 100 in as many months, going down 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to 107th-ranked Raphael Collignon in three hours and 30 minutes.
It was just the third Tour-level win for Belgium's Collignon, who is playing in his second grand slam main draw.
Twelfth-seeded Ruud arrived in New York on the back of losing matches to world number 70 Arthur Rinderknech at the Cincinnati Masters, and the 109th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Gstaad last month.
It continued a mixed year for Ruud, who lost in the second round as the sixth seed at the Australian Open, dropped his opening match at Indian Wells, and battled during the claycourt swing despite winning a maiden Masters title in Madrid.
In addition to his defeat on clay in Gstaad, the two-time French Open runner-up was knocked out in the second round at Roland Garros by world number 41 Nuno Borges, before a knee injury forced him out of Wimbledon.
Djokovic recovers from early wobble, American hopes continue
Novak Djokovic tidied up early errors and recovered from a set down to get past American qualifier Zachary Svajda, as Briton Emma Raducanu had a far easier time advancing into the third round for the first time since her 2021 title run.
Djokovic made 14 unforced errors in the first set compared to just 11 across the rest of the match as he eventually hit his stride on Arthur Ashe Stadium, beating Svajda 6-7(5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Svajda put up a surprise early fight to the delight of the home fans but was let down by an apparent leg injury midway through the match, and 24-time grand slam winner Djokovic advanced to a third-round clash with Briton Cameron Norrie.
Norrie's compatriot, Raducanu, needed only an hour to cruise past the Indonesian qualifier, Janice Tjen, 6-2, 6-1 in the first match of the day at Louis Armstrong Stadium, as she finds a way back to winning ways at the hardcourt tournament.
Raducanu had not won a US Open match since lifting the trophy in her remarkable run four years ago, but appears in solid form this year as she made just eight unforced errors.
"I'm particularly happy, because on the court, I felt like my opponent was playing really good tennis. I thought that she was very dangerous," she told reporters.
"So I'm very pleased with how I kept dictating the points, I kept dictating the play."
After Svajda's loss, American fourth seed Pegula got the home crowd at Ashe back up with a routine 6-1, 6-3 win over Anna Blinkova and will next play three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka.
American fourth seed Taylor Fritz got past South African Lloyd Harris 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 in the second match of the day at Armstrong, with Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym waiting for him in the third round.
2024 runner-up Fritz is among the top contenders hoping to break a 22-year American men's drought at the tournament, along with Frances Tiafoe, who beat qualifier Martin Damm 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(8/10), 7-5.
Reuters/ABC
