Following her strong US Open showing, Taylor Townsend didn’t exactly launch her Asian swing on a high note. The American reached the singles R16 and doubles final in New York, riding momentum after clinching the Citi Open doubles crown and rising to World No.1 in doubles. But just as it was time to bring the magic to the Billie Jean King Cup, her campaign started with more drama than delight.
The 29-year-old, who made headlines last month when Jelena Ostapenko accused her of having “no class” and “no education,” is back in the spotlight in Shenzhen, China. The Finals return to Asia for the first time since 1989, with Townsend lining up for Team USA alongside Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, McCartney Kessler, and Hailey Baptiste.
But ahead of the USA’s quarterfinal tie, Townsend stirred up controversy of her own. At the tournament’s gala, she shared her disgust at some of the traditional Chinese dishes served. The doubles World No. 1 posted Instagram stories showing sea cucumber, turtle, and bullfrog on the buffet spread.
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Townsend doubled down with a series of videos on her Instagram story: “I’m honestly just so shocked at what I saw in the dinner buffet. 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 turtles?”
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She didn’t stop there. “And the fact that it’s all stewed up with chillies, peppers, and onions. Like, oh, you really made this a dish. And then you got the sea cucumbers just staring there with the noodles. The only thing that we eating… all in all, I’d give this like a solid 2 out of 10 so far because this is crazy.” It did not sit lightly with folks online.
Last month, she made headlines for her impressive tennis. She won supporters through that storm, but now, she’s under fire for her own words.
Taylor Townsend find herself in hot water with fans
Fans didn’t take kindly to her reaction. One even wrote, “This is just racism from Taylor Townsend.” The timing raised eyebrows too, coming just weeks after she witnessed Jelena Ostapenko’s own backlash at the US Open.
Eventually, Ostapenko issued an apology. “I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,” she said. “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.”
Now, roughly three weeks later, Townsend is once again being accused of having no class. This time, it’s because she criticized the food in China. As another fan wrote, “Taylor Townsend calling Chinese people “these people” while making fun of/being disgusted at Chinese food and delicacies. Is that racist?”
But that’s not where it ends. Some users are going as far as calling out what they see as an unfair mindset from the American. One fan wrote, “Taylor Townsend: -thinks women are not mistreated in Saudi Arabia (a country where e.g. marital rape is legal) -has repeatedly mocked asian cuisine.”
That debate links back to Townsend’s fiery take just last month. She argued that the idea of women being mistreated in Saudi Arabia was nothing more than “propaganda media.” In her interview with CLAY, later published by RG Media, she doubled down: “I really hope that people can unsubscribe to the thoughts that women are treated poorly there, because they are not.”
For Townsend, her time in the Middle East was nothing short of glowing. The 29-year-old called her experience “phenomenal,” praising the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh as one of the best tournaments of her career. As she put it, “I didn’t experience or witness anything negative, not even one time.” Fans, however, say the comments left them hurt and disappointed.
One fan put it plain and simple: “I’ve watched stories on Taylor Townsend IG. It was disgusting. DO NOT MOCK OTHER’S CULTURE!! If you don’t want to eat something, just leave it. Nobody forced you eating them.”
They also pointed out Townsend isn’t the first player facing this storm. Paula Badosa sparked outrage at the 2024 China Open for posting a photo holding chopsticks to her eyes, a pose many saw as mocking Asian features. She first claimed she was “just playing around” with her wrinkles but later apologized, admitting she hadn’t realized it was offensive.
Serbian player Dejana Radanovic also faced heavy criticism in 2024 over Instagram posts from India. She complained about food, hotels, and local conditions, which many fans viewed as racist. Radanovic later clarified she meant to criticize infrastructure and the environment, not the people themselves.
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Meanwhile, others mocked Townsend’s disdain for the menu with humor. One fan wrote, “What Taylor Townsend was expecting the menu to look like,” attaching an image of American basics like burgers and vending machine snacks.
Now, the United States is set to take on Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. On the other hand, fans have been clear with their reactions. The ball is in Taylor’s court to set things right.