Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko accused an opponent's coach of being "very disrespectful" and engaging in trash talk during a heated doubles match at the US Open. Ostapenko and her partner Hsieh Su-wei confronted the opposing coaching team and the chair umpire over what they described as unsportsmanlike conduct.
The incident occurred during their match against the Australian-Taiwanese team of Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching. Ostapenko alleged that the opponents' coaching box was cheering and clapping after every mistake made by her and Hsieh, crossing a line of sportsmanship.
During a changeover with Joint and Chan leading 4-1, Hsieh first spoke with the chair umpire, referencing a breach in sportsmanship. Ostapenko supported her partner's concerns, stating, "No, they cannot do this - it’s very disrespectful. They do this because they know they cannot beat us, because they’re so much worse than us. They’re doing this on purpose." She further warned the umpire to call a supervisor if the behavior continued.
Hsieh indicated that comments were being made in Chinese. Ostapenko corroborated this, telling the umpire, "He's saying s***, he's not cheering." Hsieh requested the umpire's intervention, describing the situation as a reportable issue.
Ostapenko urged the umpire to find someone who spoke Chinese to ensure the alleged comments were accurately understood. Following the lengthy discussion, Ostapenko and Hsieh refocused on the match and went on to win 6-4, 6-4.
Post-match, Ostapenko elaborated on the situation, explaining that the intensity from the opposing team felt deliberate. She noted that while supporting a player is normal, the targeted clapping after errors seemed unusual, especially in doubles. She described sarcastic comments in Chinese, translated by Hsieh, which she felt were intended to provoke.
"You should respect each other, and that's why I got so angry, and I started to (yell) 'come on!' so much," Ostapenko said. "Because these kind of things, they pump me up even more. Then I'm saying (to myself), 'I'm not gonna lose this match. I can die on court, but I'm not gonna lose this match."