Hsieh Su-wei and Chan Hao-ching have escalated their feud following the US Open doubles match with posts on social media. Jelena Ostapenko is once again involved.
Taiwanese tennis players Hsieh Su-wei and Chan Hao-ching played out their long-standing feud in public at the US Open. In the doubles round of 16, Hsieh, partnered with Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, defeated Chan and Maya Joint in two sets. Afterwards, Chan refused to shake hands with her compatriot at the net.
Hsieh, too, gestured towards the opposing team whilst celebrating. During the subsequent handshake, Ostapenko greeted both opponents at the net. However, Chan apparently did not offer Hsieh her hand. Ostapenko reacted with visible irritation, looked around in disbelief and then left the court.
“I waited at the net three times in a row”
“In recent matches against Taiwanese players, either the players themselves provoke us, or their team and fans don’t even understand basic tennis etiquette,” Hsieh subsequently wrote on Facebook. Referring to Ostapenko’s reaction, she added: “When I saw how angry my partner was, I just had to shout back – a good opportunity to practise my lion’s roar.”
Chan explained her decision in an Instagram Story. “Starting with the mixed doubles at the French Open one particular year, I’ve waited at the net three times in a row after the match, only to be stood up at the handshake. That’s why I didn’t wait this time,” she wrote. It was “not a lack of sportsmanship”, but rather unnecessary to wait for someone “who doesn’t respect tennis etiquette”.
Tensions had already been mounting during the match. At one point, Ostapenko summoned the tournament director and apparently complained about possible coaching from the stands. Furthermore, Chan claimed in her post that Hsieh had hired outsiders at the China Open to shout abuse at her and her team. However, she provided no evidence to support this allegation.
US Open: Ostapenko also clashed with Townsend
The conflict between Hsieh and Chan, who are both from Taiwan, has been well known for some time. Yet for Ostapenko, too, this was not her first unsavoury incident in New York. In the singles competition, following her defeat to Taylor Townsend, she had an argument with the American at the net. From Ostapenko’s point of view, the trigger was that Townsend had not apologised for a net roller that had been left on the court.
Townsend subsequently described the exchange to ESPN: “She told me I had no class, no education, and that I should see what happens when we’re outside the US.” Ostapenko was knocked out in the first round of the singles this time and did not speak to the media afterwards.
