US tennis star Taylor Townsend is once again in the headlines at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after her remarks about Chinese food were perceived as racially insensitive by some fans online. The backlash has also revived her past clash with Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open, as the Latvian’s comments about Townsend that were initially considered racist are now being viewed differently.
What Is the Controversy Surrounding Taylor Townsend’s Comments Regarding Chinese Cuisine?
Townsend landed in hot water at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen after sparking a cultural controversy. At a team dinner, she posted Instagram stories reacting to Chinese dishes like bullfrogs, turtles, gizzards, and large sausages. In the clips, she joked about the dishes being poisonous and questioned the safety of some foods.
In her Instagram stories, Townsend was seen giving shocking reactions to Chinese cuisine while talking to teammate Hailey Baptiste. In one of her stories, she wrote, “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen .. and people eating this,” with some shocking emojis.
In another story, she said, “I’m honestly just so shocked at what I saw in the dinner buffet. As I go back and I look and I’m like, these people are literally killing frogs… bullfrogs. Aren’t those poisonous? Aren’t those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff? And the fact that it’s all stewed up with chillies, peppers, and onions. Like, oh, you really made this a dish…All in all, I’d give this like a solid 2 out of 10 so far, because this is crazy.”
The clips… pic.twitter.com/N1oRU084kC
— Gaby S. (@gabyserrar) September 16, 2025
Townsend’s comments immediately sparked online criticism. Realizing the seriousness of her mistake, she quickly deleted the stories and shared an apology.
She said, “Hi everybody, I just wanted to come on here and sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I understand that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel all around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things I love so much about what I do.”
“There’s no excuse, there are no words. For me, I will be better. I’m really, really thankful to my country to be able to represent them and to be better. That’s all I can do. So I just truly apologize,” she added.
“There’s no excuse…I will be better.”
Taylor Townsend has posted an apology video to her IG stories after facing backlash for earlier comments on Chinese cuisine pic.twitter.com/7uReGdgpqk
— Christian’s Court (@christianscourt) September 16, 2025
However, even after her apology, the controversy is hanging over as Team USA prepares to face the Kazakhstan team in the Billie Jean King Cup quarterfinals on September 18.
Why Did Jelena Ostapenko’s Remarks Get Unexpected Support Amid Townsend’s Latest Controversy?
Townsend’s issues in China brought back memories of her clash with Jelena Ostapenko at the 2025 US Open. In their second-round match, Ostapenko accused her of bad sportsmanship for not apologizing after a crucial net cord winner. After the match, Townsend said that the Latvian apparently told her that she has “no class” and “no education.” Many saw Ostapenko’s remarks as racially insensitive.
Taylor Townsend on the argument with Jelena Ostapenko at US Open
“It’s competition… people get upset when they lose. Some people say bad things. She told me I have no class & no education & to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.” 🥶 pic.twitter.com/tLgPDOznJY
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 27, 2025
At the time, Townsend responded calmly to the remarks. During her post-match press conference, she said that she wouldn’t let the “uneducated” label affect her, as “it’s so far from the truth and so far from anything.”
Later, she addressed the broader context of Ostapenko’s comment and said, “That has been a stigma in our community, of being non-educated and all the things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
However, Ostapenko later defended herself on social media, explaining that her comments were about tennis etiquette, not race, and that she respects all nations. In her Instagram story, she wrote, “I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from.”
But now, after the new controversy, netizens started calling Townsend’s remarks insensitive and racist. A fan wrote that mocking Chinese food feeds into stereotypes and xenophobia, especially since she has played in Asia before.
racism/xenophobia towards asians is so normalised lol, like she didn’t even feel that she sounds so insensitive there https://t.co/xqp04BdZaR
— Raj 🍁 (@RajBhandari1001) September 16, 2025
Many online users seemingly started looking at Ostapenko’s old “no education” comment about Townsend differently, with one commenting that Townsend “threw away any goodwill” she had earned.
Threw away any goodwill she gained from the Penko incident https://t.co/mPGDiQDArL
— Brian | #25inSeoul (@stanpokey) September 16, 2025
Some fans argued that Townsend’s remarks about Chinese food made Ostapenko’s past criticism seem valid.
Just proved that Penko was right about that “uneducated” comment 😗 https://t.co/KPwmXEi9xc pic.twitter.com/jb3UMoyMUR
— FlopMi (@J0ank4) September 16, 2025
Agreed. Her comments are classless. Ostapenko was right.
— Jensen Wong (@marktongkaman) September 16, 2025
Another user commented that a “well-educated” person should know how to respect different cultures.
a well-educated person should know how to respect other cultures https://t.co/JpCxY0I1Fd
— 元气豆沙包 (@hoppang121) September 16, 2025
Some fans took a balanced approach, saying both players showed insensitivity-Ostapenko at the US Open and Townsend during the Billie Jean King Cup.
This doesn’t make Ostapenko correct lmfao now they’re just both racially insensitive https://t.co/7FXuUr4c56
— Sarah (@s4rahndipity) September 16, 2025
What seemingly started as a culture shock post on Townsend’s Instagram has turned into a bigger reputation problem. Her apology might have eased some of the anger, but Ostapenko’s earlier comments at the US Open are now coming back, raising questions about Townsend’s professionalism online.
