By Shrivathsa Sridhar

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Jelena Ostapenko apologised for some of the words she used in a tense altercation with American Taylor Townsend at the U.S. Open that led to a backlash, with the Latvian stating on Saturday that English was not her native language.

The controversy ignited after Townsend, who is Black, beat 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko 7-5 6-1 in a tough second-round battle on Wednesday before being dragged into a verbal duel by her opponent following their handshake.

Townsend revealed part of the exchange in her on-court interview, saying Ostapenko accused her of having “no class” and “no education”, adding in a press conference that the Latvian would have to answer if there were “racial undertones” to the row.

Ostapenko said on Instagram that her anger

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