During the U.S. Open women’s doubles round of 16 at Flushing Meadows, a long‑standing rivalry between Taiwanese players Hsieh Su‑wei and Chan Hao‑ching boiled over into a volatile on‑court incident.
Match outcome
The fourth‑seeded duo of Hsieh and her Latvian partner Jeļena Ostapenko won in straight sets, 6‑4, 6‑4, advancing to the quarterfinals. Their victory came amid a series of confrontations that extended beyond the usual competitive intensity of a Grand Slam match.
Accusations of taunting
Mid‑match, Ostapenko and Hsieh claimed that Chan’s coach was openly taunting them from the player’s box, sarcastically applauding unforced errors and double faults in Mandarin. Because Ostapenko does not speak Mandarin, Hsieh translated the remarks for the crowd. Ostapenko described the behavior as disrespectful, demanded a Chinese translator be brought to the court, and shouted, “They do this because they know they cannot beat us, because they’re so much worse than us.”
Handshake snub
When the match concluded, Chan shook Ostapenko’s hand but deliberately walked past Hsieh without extending a hand or making eye contact, a clear snub that underscored the personal animosity between the two Taiwanese competitors.
Background of the feud
The tension stems from a decade‑long dispute over resources, national‑team backing, and internal politics within Taiwan’s tennis federation. Hsieh, a former doubles world No. 1, has repeatedly accused the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association of favoring Chan and her elder sister, Latisha Chan, in the allocation of funding, sponsorships, and coaching credentials. The conflict intensified after the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the association allegedly chose to support the Chan sisters over Hsieh’s coach, prompting Hsieh to withdraw from the Games in protest.
Implications for the tournament
While the match result advances Hsieh and Ostapenko in the U.S. Open draw, the incident highlights how personal rivalries can spill over into the public arena of a major sporting event. Tournament officials have not issued a formal statement regarding the alleged taunting or the handshake snub, leaving the dispute to play out on the court and in the media.
What’s next
Hsieh and Ostapenko will face their next opponents in the quarterfinals, while Chan and Joint will look to regroup after the loss and the public confrontation. The broader tennis community will be watching to see whether the federation steps in to address the underlying grievances that have fueled this feud for years.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
