Jelena Ostapenko reignites Taylor Townsend feud after racism dispute that rocked US Open

Jelena Ostapenko has reignited her feud with Taylor Townsend after the Latvian was accused of being racist during the US Open.

The pair had an intense exchange after Townsend - who is black - beat her opponent in straight sets, with Ostapenko accusing the American of having 'no class' and 'no education.'

Those comments were interpreted by many to be racially coded, though Ostapenko vehemently denied being racist and said that she was referencing tennis etiquette amid a dispute about a net cord. She also added in her apology that English was not her first language.

Townsend, meanwhile, came under fire herself last week in China after mocking the country's traditional cuisine while there for the Billie Jean King Cup.

The world doubles No. 2 shared her surprised and disgusted reaction to the specialty dishes on offer at the tournament's gala including sea cucumber, turtle and bullfrog.

Now, Ostapenko has appeared to revel in Townsend's recent controversy by liking an Instagram comment referencing their dispute.

Ostapenko posted a picture of herself at the Great Wall of China to which one fan commented: 'very educated in China.'

The Latvian, who is preparing for the China Open, liked the comment.

Others also offered similar replies to the post.

'Cultured and Educated Queen!,' one wrote.

Ostapenko, who will face Australian Priscilla Hon on Thursday, has been documenting her travels on social media, and called her time at Beijing's Forbidden City an 'amazing experience.'

Townsend was criticized for being 'offensive' and 'super ignorant' following her remarks on Chinese cuisine, and later took to social media to issue an apology.

'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 things that love much about what do, and I have had nothing but the most amazing and time here,' she said.

'Everyone has been so kind, so gracious and the things that I said were not representative of that at all. I just truly wanted to apologize. 

'There is no excuse, no words. For me, I will be better. I'm really thankful my country to be able to represent them. To be better that's all that I can do.

In a previous post, she had zoomed in on the sea cucumber and asked: 'What the hell?'

She also said on Instagram: 'I'm honestly just so shocked at what I saw in the dinner buffet,' she said. 'As I go back and I look… 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.'

Following her spat with Ostapenko at the US Open, Townsend said she hadn't heard from her.

Nonetheless, the Latvian did take to social media to apologize in the days after the incident.

'I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match. English is not my native language so when I said education I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.

'I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.'