Tennis fans recently reacted to Jeļena Ostapenko signing a fan’s poster at the 2025 China Open, which appeared to take a jab at Taylor Townsend’s controversy over Chinese cuisine.
At the 2025 US Open, after Townsend defeated Ostapenko in the second round, the two players exchanged sharp words at the net. The American later revealed that Ostapenko had commented that Townsend lacks “class” and “education.” These remarks drew heavy criticism for the Latvian player.
How Did the Fans React to Jeļena Ostapenko Signing a Poster Taking a Dig at Taylor Townsend at the China Open?
Following the incident at the New York Major, during the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, held in China, Townsend expressed her displeasure about the food provided. She specifically criticized dishes made with bullfrogs, turtles, and chicken gizzards, among other things.
The former doubles World No. 1’s comments led to her receiving heavy backlash from fans. After the BJK Cup Final, Townsend withdrew from all tournaments in China, citing injury; however, many speculated that her withdrawal was a response to the controversy surrounding her remarks about Chinese cuisine.
Meanwhile, Ostapenko competes in the doubles event alongside Hsieh Su-wei at the 2025 China Open. They are seeded fourth and began their campaign with a victory over Chan Hao-Ching and Jiang Xinyu, winning with a score of 5-7, 6-4, [11-9].
After their win, Ostapenko went towards the stands to sign autographs and tennis memorabilia for the fans. Among those was a supporter with a poster featuring Ostapenko and the phrase “Best Education Jelena,” which appeared to mock Townsend and her comments about Chinese food.
Ostapenko signs “Best Education Jelena!!!“ poster
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The Latvian signing the poster drew various reactions from tennis fans, who expressed their thoughts on social media. A fan remarked that the spectators in Beijing took the idea of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in relation to Ostapenko and Townsend’s controversy a bit too seriously.
“Beijing going full”enemy of the enemy is my friend” with the Ostapenko/Townsend situation lol,” a fan posted.
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“Penko clocked Townsend’s racist a*s perfectly!” a fan wrote.
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“this is crazy. first, ostapenko was called racist and now it’s the opposite. I’d never see this coming,” a fan posted.
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“You can see her huge grin even from this angle lol,” a fan wrote.
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In the singles event at the 2025 China Open, Ostapenko was seeded 22nd and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. She faced qualifier Priscilla Hon in her opening match. Still, she lost with a score of 3-6, 2-6.
What’s Next for Jeļena Ostapenko at the 2025 China Open?
After their victory over Hao-ching and Xinyu in the first round of the doubles event at the 2025 China Open, Ostapenko and Su-wei will face the pair of Shuko Aoyama and Cristina Bucșa in the second round.
The winner of the second round match between the team of Ostapenko and Su-wei and the duo of Aoyama and BucÈ™a will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will meet the pair of Tereza MihalÃková and Olivia Nicholls.
Looking ahead, Ostapenko is expected to compete in the 2025 Wuhan Open, which will follow the China Open. This tournament is scheduled for October 6 to October 12, 2025, at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, China.
In addition to Ostapenko, players such as defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Mirra Andreeva, Emma Raducanu, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula will participate in this WTA 1000 hard-court tournament.
