Latvian tennis player Jeļena Ostapenko was visibly stunned after a US Open doubles match when her opponent, Chan Hao-ching, did not shake hands with Ostapenko's partner, Hsieh Su-wei. The incident occurred Monday following Ostapenko and Hsieh's victory over Chan and her partner, Maya Joint, in the Round of 16.
Ostapenko and Hsieh won the match 6-4, 6-4. After the victory, Ostapenko directed vocal shouts towards Chan's player box. Following the match, Ostapenko extended her hand to both Joint and Chan, but Chan reportedly made no reciprocal gesture towards Hsieh.
This apparent snub left Ostapenko looking around in shock as she exited the court. Hsieh also appeared to shout towards Chan's camp during the post-match celebration.
The on-court tension also saw Ostapenko call for a tournament supervisor during the match, seemingly questioning whether Hsieh's team was receiving coaching from the stands. This is not the first time Ostapenko has been involved in on-court controversy; last year, she had a heated exchange with Taylor Townsend after a singles match.
The underlying friction appears to stem from a long-standing feud between Taiwanese players Hsieh Su-wei and Chan Hao-ching. Reports suggest Hsieh believes the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association has shown favoritism in funding and resources towards Chan and her sister, Yung-Jan.
Chan and Joint had previously defeated Venus and Serena Williams in the opening round of the tournament.