In August, when Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko met in the second round of the US Open, no one imagined that the match would end with a heated exchange between the players. It turned out, Ostapenko’s ire originated from a moment midway through their match when Townsend did not apologize after being helped by a net cord during a point. Now, recently, something similar happened at the 2025 Paris Masters, where controversy erupted after Alexander Bublik secured a 6-4, 6-3 win, snubbing Alexei Popyrin for a handshake.

After clinching the R64 triumph, Alexander Bublik was seen directly heading towards the chair umpire, skipping the customary handshake with his rival and later walking back to the court to acknowledge the gathering. The incident transpired during a small yet significant moment of the second set. Having taken an early break to clinch a 2-0 lead, Popyrin found himself facing another break point when back-to-back net cords worked in his favor, helping him win the rally. Now, of course, in the tennis world, the most natural reaction of any player would be to at least acknowledge such luck with a quick gesture or nod of apology.

But Popyrin celebrated while swinging his fist. This surely didn’t settle in Bublik’s eyes, as it was only a breach of tennis etiquette by celebrating not one but two fortunate net cords. 

“Well, precisely because if someone hangs two ropes and doesn’t apologize, but celebrates as if they’ve won something… I just don’t see anything wrong with that. I think any reasonable person would have done the same in my place, that is, if I had ever done the same,” said Bublik after the game, as per the report of Champion AT.

“They can celebrate and then apologize. I’m not the kind of person to cling to that, but they apologize for it. There’s a code, there’s some kind of etiquette. If someone doesn’t adhere to it, why should I adhere to another?” He concluded. 

As for Bublik, he simply stated his reasons and moved on from the incident. Meanwhile, there’s yet to be offered some sort of response from Popyrin. 

Alexander Bublik isn’t alone in standing his ground!

Fans might have seen Alexander Bublik only ignoring Alex Popyrin, but what transpired between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko during the second round of the US Open went much further. Basically, as the game ended in Taylor’s favor, tensions flared on the sidelines as she and Ostapenko exchanged heated words, with the Latvian even wagging her finger during the confrontation. Townsend later revealed that Ostapenko had called her “classless” and “uneducated.”

Although the American dismissed any suggestion of racial undertones when asked by reporters, Ostapenko soon came forward on social media with her own explanation. She accused Townsend of being “disrespectful,” claiming the American failed to apologize after winning a point off a net cord. “There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow, and it was (the) first time ever that this happened to me on tour,” Ostapenko posted.

The former French Open champion also took issue with Townsend’s warm-up routine, saying it was improper to start near the net. However, Townsend clarified that beginning practice with volleys has always been part of her usual preparation. “If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants,” vocally added the 28-year-old Latvian star.