Tennis-Townsend, Ostapenko involved in heated exchange at US Open

By Shrivathsa Sridhar

NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - American Taylor Townsend prevailed 7-5 6-1 in a tough U.S. Open second-round clash against Grand Slam winner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday but the real tension came after match point when the pair were involved in a heated argument at the net.

Townsend was trailing 5-3 in the opening set on Court 11 before she won nine straight games against the 2017 French Open champion to gain the upper hand and soon closed out the victory on serve to let out a huge roar.

A cold handshake followed at the net and the duo were locked in a war of words initiated by Ostapenko, before Townsend walked away and shook the chair umpire's hand and proceeded to whip the crowd into a frenzy.

"It's competition. People get upset when they lose and some people say bad things," Townsend said in an on-court interview.

"She told me I had no class, I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.

"I'm looking forward to it. I mean, beat her in Canada outside the U.S. so let's see what else she has to say."

Townsend gave credit to Ostapenko for a strong start but said she then "locked in" to turn the tables on the Latvian.

"She was playing really well at the beginning ... when she was playing well, I didn't say anything. That just shows class. Sometimes people are playing too good and you have to take it.

"But I turned it up another level and that's what I'm most proud of today."