The 2025 US Open has turned into a battlefield of controversy. After Daniil Medvedev’s meltdown in round one, tennis is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Jelena Ostapenko is now facing a racism storm after her shocking comments towards American star Taylor Townsend following their second-round clash. Townsend stunned Ostapenko with a straight-sets victory, but the handshake at the net spiralled into insults, boos from fans, and global outrage. While Ostapenko insists her remarks were misunderstood, many believe the Latvian crossed a dangerous line. Did she disrespect her opponent, her sport, and its values? Rupha Ramani breaks down the heated exchange, the fallout, and why this incident could go down as one of the ugliest moments in US Open history.
Also on the show, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed foreign experts for commenting on India's Asia Cup squad. Prominent names like Brad Haddin and AB de Villiers expressed their concerns over India's squad and Shreyas Iyer's omission. Is Gavaskar's criticism fair? Manchester United were embarrassed after losing to a fourth-tier English football side, Grimsby Town. The Red Devils have now been knocked out of the League Cup. Ruben Amorim had to apologise to United fans for the loss. Who is responsible for Man United's downfall? And a new chapter has begun in Pulwama's history. The town, known for the infamous terror attack in 2019, started a new innings with cricket. A day-night cricket match was organised as fans turned up in huge numbers. Can Pulwama produce India's next cricketer?
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US Open | Tennis | Racism | Daniil Medvedev | Jelena Ostapenko | Taylor Townsend | First Sports | Rupha Ramani | Firstpost | Sports News
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Also on the show, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed foreign experts for commenting on India's Asia Cup squad. Prominent names like Brad Haddin and AB de Villiers expressed their concerns over India's squad and Shreyas Iyer's omission. Is Gavaskar's criticism fair? Manchester United were embarrassed after losing to a fourth-tier English football side, Grimsby Town. The Red Devils have now been knocked out of the League Cup. Ruben Amorim had to apologise to United fans for the loss. Who is responsible for Man United's downfall? And a new chapter has begun in Pulwama's history. The town, known for the infamous terror attack in 2019, started a new innings with cricket. A day-night cricket match was organised as fans turned up in huge numbers. Can Pulwama produce India's next cricketer?
---
US Open | Tennis | Racism | Daniil Medvedev | Jelena Ostapenko | Taylor Townsend | First Sports | Rupha Ramani | Firstpost | Sports News
#usopen2025 #racism #tennis #daniilmedvedev #jelenaostapenko #taylortownsend #firstsports #rupharamani #sportsnews #firstpost
Firstpost is an Indian news and media website. Get all the incisive opinions, in-depth analyses and other visual stories that matter to you and the world right here on this channel.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The champion! It's over! He's done it again! Unbelievable!
00:06Oh, straight into the roof of the net. Nice one. Straight down the middle.
00:12Hi, welcome to First Sports. I'm Rupa Ramani. Let's get started.
00:16On the Shochari, India commentator Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at foreign cricket experts,
00:30saying they shouldn't be critiquing or analysing Indian cricket squads,
00:35and that they should mind their own business and their own teams. Was he right?
00:39Manchester United has hit yet another low, crashing out of the League Cup.
00:43Manager Ruben Amorum apologises to the fans. What's the real problem plaguing the Red Devils?
00:49After Daniel Medvedev's meltdown, the US Open witnesses yet another flashpoint.
00:54A racism row has erupted with two women players getting into a heated argument.
00:59Elena Osteppenko, the 25th seed, is caught in a raging storm,
01:03with the internet showing their outrage over her behaviour towards her American opponent, Townsend.
01:10And Pulwama tries to rewrite their story after the terror attack in 2019.
01:16They've decided to move past strife and turmoil and embrace sport instead.
01:20A cricket tournament under lights is being held for the first time in this district,
01:25bringing hope and grief-stricken people together.
01:28But first, the headlines on Sports 360.
01:30Starting with tennis, former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has broken tennis legend Roger Federer's record.
01:38The Serb beat Zachary Swachda to enter the third round of a Grand Slam for the 75th time,
01:45the most in tennis's history.
01:47Over in the women's draw, World No. 1 Arena Sabalenka too has entered the third round.
01:52The Belarusian beat Polina Kudarmitova in straight sets.
01:55She now faces Laila Fernandes next.
02:00On to football.
02:01Lionel Messi powered Inter Miami to League's Cup final.
02:04The Argentine scored a brace in Miami's 3-1 win over Orlando City.
02:11They will face Seattle Sounders, who beat LA Galaxy 2-0.
02:15Inter Miami last won the trophy in 2023.
02:17In news from Athletics, Armand Mondo Duplantis has won the Diamond League title for the fifth time in a row.
02:26The pole vaulter cleared the bar in his first attempt at 5.5, 5.8, 5.9 and 6 metres.
02:34Duplantis is now behind French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillini with seven titles.
02:40The Indian government has approved the sports ministry's bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
02:49Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium has been proposed as the host venue.
02:53The Commonwealth Games bid is part of India's dream of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games eventually in the same city.
03:00India last hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi.
03:03And in badminton star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu continued her solid run at the World Championships.
03:12The 2019 World Champion entered round of 16 for the first time in four years.
03:16She beat L. Karupatevan 21-19, 21-15 in just 43 minutes.
03:25The Asia Cup is all the buzz. It's in the news.
03:28It's of course the biggest tournament within Asian cricketing countries.
03:31And it seems to be what everyone is talking about the world over.
03:35And that doesn't sit right with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar,
03:38who's also a very popular and well-respected voice in the Indian cricket fraternity.
03:43He strongly believes that any analysis or critiquing over what happens in Indian cricket
03:48needs to be made by those who played cricket here.
03:51Gavaskar lashed out at the foreign experts who've given their remarks
03:54over India's Asia Cup squad selection, saying it was none of their business.
03:59Is this a bit too harsh or does Gavaskar have a point to make here?
04:05Now the commentator in question here is a huge name in the cricketing world.
04:09His words carry weight.
04:11He's earned that over the decades as a cricketer and then a commentator.
04:15So when he makes a point, it normally has an impact.
04:18They should focus on their country's cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket.
04:25Amazingly, when their country's teams are selected,
04:27there's hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection.
04:31It's almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make.
04:35So why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team?
04:38This is what he said in a column he wrote for one of India's sports magazines.
04:44He went hard at the non-Indian cricket commentators for giving their inputs
04:48over the Indian squad selection.
04:51Now there was a lot of chatter around it,
04:53with many wondering why certain players had been left out.
04:56Gavaskar did not take any names,
04:57but this comes after certain foreign players,
05:01former cricketers like A.B. de Villiers and Brad Haddon
05:04had made some comments on this selection.
05:34Gavaskar's point here is simple.
05:39There are never too many comments ever made
05:41by Indian experts when it comes to the squads picked by other countries,
05:45especially when India is not involved in that series.
05:48So why should they comment on an Asia Cup squad
05:51that doesn't even feature their own nations?
05:54Gavaskar went on to speak about the reason behind all of this as well.
05:58Today, in the days of public media,
06:00where getting views and followers is the theme,
06:02one of the fastest ways to increase the number
06:05is by commenting on India's matters.
06:07And mostly, they do it negatively.
06:09And so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users,
06:12which in turn boosts their follower count.
06:16Now he's made one valid point here.
06:18This is a surefire way of being relevant, being topical.
06:21Indian cricket has a massive following.
06:24So anything you say regarding that gets you some traction.
06:27Look at many other organizations the world over.
06:30They've now realized what a huge market India truly is in Asia.
06:34Otherwise, too, that if you work towards capturing this market,
06:38you would have already made a huge dent.
06:39It's something that other sporting disciplines and governing bodies
06:42from FIFA Football Association to the FIA Formula One
06:46to ATP and WTA boards, the tennis boards,
06:52have understood and are jostling for.
07:00But coming back to cricket,
07:29cricket, it's where all the spotlight is.
07:31With India, many cricketers the world over vie
07:33to come and be a part of, say, the Indian Premier League.
07:37And in various capacities, from coaches and mentors
07:40to players and commentators, it's the biggest draw.
07:44So needless to say, they are so entrenched in this,
07:46they truly believe they know and understand Indian cricket
07:49that much better too.
07:50And that's Rankled Gavaskar, who wants them to focus on their own countries
07:55and critique their system and set up instead.
07:58The Asia Cup has not even begun and it's already raking in
08:01all these conversations around it,
08:03making this the biggest cricketing chapter of the month to come.
08:06Manchester United have hit rock bottom.
08:12This time it's not Premier League rivals humiliating them,
08:15but a club from England's fourth tier.
08:17The Red Devils have been dumped out of the League Cup,
08:19losing to Grimsby Town on penalties.
08:21And this latest setback proves it's not just the players,
08:25not just the manager, but a broken culture at Old Trafford.
08:29One that needs a complete revival.
08:33Manager Ruben Amorim began his first full season high on hopes,
08:37backed by a $200 million spending spree.
08:41But three games into the campaign, the results are damning.
08:44Defeat to Arsenal, a draw with Fulham,
08:47and now the embarrassment against Grimsby Town.
08:50To put this in perspective, Old Trafford seats around 75,000 fans.
08:55The town of Cleathops, home to Grimsby,
08:58accounts for less than half of that.
09:00Their population is 30,000.
09:03So for Grimsby supporters, this was the night of their lives.
09:20Those celebrations say it all.
09:46That's a night no one who has gathered there backing that team
09:50would forget for many years to come.
09:53But for United fans, it was another night of shame.
10:16And heartbreakingly, it's the fans who've carried the club through 12 years of failure,
10:30clinging to hope, again only to be let down.
10:33Little wonder, Amorim had to apologise to the Manchester United fans.
10:40I just want to say sorry to our fans.
10:42I have nothing to say anymore about the performance.
10:45You cannot change everything in one summer.
10:47You need to win games.
10:49You need to not show this kind of performance.
10:51So who's to blame?
10:55Changing managers hasn't worked.
10:57United have burned through many coaches in 12 years.
11:00Ten different faces have been inked with the top job.
11:04Some caretakers, some permanent, a few interim ones coming in.
11:08But all have been blamed for United's poor showing over the years.
11:11And here's the thing.
11:12The names were some of the big guns in football world.
11:14David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ralph Ragnick, Eric Ten Haag.
11:20And some legends of the club too.
11:22Ryan Giggs, Oolagana Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Roode Van Nistelrooy and now Ruben Amorim.
11:29So it isn't just managers.
11:31When top names fail, the players are far worse.
11:36We're seeing things we were seeing last season.
11:39I hoped all the mistakes, players walking and being easy to play against at times would have gone.
11:44But that was a bit of a worry.
11:47So yes, the players are part of the problem.
11:49But the truth runs deeper.
11:51The club has lost the fear factor.
11:54Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the dressing room had one line and everyone respected him.
11:59Whether it was Beckham, Keane, Tevez, no matter the name.
12:03If you crossed the line, you were out.
12:05Today, players dictate terms.
12:07Marcus Rashford, Anthony, on loan with United still footing half their massive wages.
12:13Of course, Alejandro Garnaccio reportedly refuses to leave unless Chelsea comes calling.
12:19That entitlement, that lack of accountability, that's where United have failed the most.
12:24Sure, they'll keep topping the list of biggest spenders.
12:27But will they ever top the Premier League again?
12:30Right now, Manchester United are no longer feared.
12:33No longer respected.
12:34And unless the culture changes, unless players are held accountable, United will continue to sink.
12:40The theatre of dreams is fast turning into the theatre of nightmares.
12:43And the painful truth, the glory days may be farther away than ever before.
12:48Tennis has always carried a reputation.
12:56Elegance, grace, class and pure skills.
12:58Legends like Roger Federer, Steffi Graf have long been the torchbearers of that image.
13:04But the 2025 US Open, it feels like a sport rebranded overnight.
13:08There's aggression, ugly meltdowns, verbal spats and tempers running wild.
13:13First, of course, came Daniel Medvedev's explosive first round meltdown.
13:18And now, the US Open is at the centre of a racism storm.
13:24The latest controversy erupting in what could have been an otherwise inconsequential matchup
13:29between Taylor Townsend and Yelena Ostapenko.
13:33Unseeded America's Townsend defeated her 25th seeded opponent in straight sets.
13:38But what should have been a routine proceeding post the match
13:41turned into one of the ugliest flashpoints of the Grand Slam.
13:45Making us ask, did Ostapenko cross the line here?
13:49Now, usually, after a pace-off, the two players meet at the net, shake hands.
13:53One congratulates, the other commiserates and that's over.
13:58Ostapenko didn't do any of that.
13:59She humiliated Townsend right at the nets.
14:02The American gave it back too.
14:04Fans booed Ostapenko and now she's staring at accusations
14:07of racism.
14:09Townsend pulled off a massive upset.
14:117-5-6-1.
14:12A solid win there.
14:13But when the players met to shake hands,
14:15Ostapenko dropped a verbal bomb.
14:17She told me I have no education, no class, and to see what happens if we play each other
14:39outside of the U.S.
14:40I said I'm excited.
14:42Bring it on.
14:44No education, no class.
14:46That was Ostapenko's parting shot.
14:49Townsend didn't mince her words in response.
14:51She told Ostapenko to take the loss.
14:54The home crowd roared with her.
14:56Ostapenko walked out to a chorus of boos.
14:59But the controversy didn't die just there.
15:01It only escalated.
15:02Ostapenko's comments triggered a storm on social media.
15:05Accusations of racism started piling in.
15:35The backlash was so intense the Latvian was forced to issue a clarification, not an apology,
15:45a clarification.
16:05She claimed tension started after a net court point went Townsend's way.
16:11And since Townsend didn't apologize for that net court, she felt disrespected.
16:16Now let's get one thing clear here.
16:18Apologizing for a net court is a gesture.
16:20It's not a rule.
16:21It's tradition.
16:22A courtesy you choose to grant your opponent for a lucky shot.
16:27But skipping it, that doesn't make a player classless or uneducated.
16:32Whether it had her racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on.
16:38But also that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated and all of the things,
16:44when it's the furthest thing from the truth.
16:48That's where it hits home because words carry baggage and when you're a Grand Slam winner,
16:52you can't hide behind excuses.
16:54If Ostapenko felt disrespected, she had every right to be upset.
16:57But insulting an opponent and taking potshots like that, that's not passion, that's privilege.
17:03The result, she didn't just offend Townsend, she disrespected her rival, fans and the sport itself.
17:27The result, she didn't mean it at all, but damage is done.
17:35Ostapenko hasn't apologized yet because according to her, she's done nothing wrong.
17:40She's said nothing objectionable.
17:42But here's the hypocrisy.
17:43She's offended by a missed courtesy at the net, yet feels entitled to call another player classless and uneducated.
17:50Elena Ostapenko may deny racism, she may insist she didn't mean it at all,
17:56but damage is done and it's irrevocable.
18:00And when you insult your opponent's dignity, you don't just lose the match, you lose much more.
18:04Pulwama, a name that once sent shivers down the spine of every Indian,
18:13a place that the world remembers for the 2019 terror attack.
18:17An attack that took the lives of 40 brave CRPF personnel.
18:21A place that was once a stronghold of separatists and terror groups.
18:25But today, six years later, Pulwama is writing a brand new story.
18:30A story of hope, a story of unity and a story where cricket is leading the charge.
18:35A new innings for the Kashmiri town, a region once marked by bloodshed,
18:40is now lit up by the floodlights of cricket.
18:43Our next report tells you why this is much more than just a sport.
18:50Cricket, the one sport that unites India like nothing else.
18:54When bat and ball come together, states, politics and language all take a back seat.
19:00And now, cricket has entered a place where hope was once lost.
19:06In Pulwama, a district known worldwide for the 2019 terror attack,
19:11an attack that changed the face of the valley.
19:14In the years that followed, youths struggled with unemployment, depression and uncertainty.
19:21But this week, under the lights of Pulwama Sports Stadium, a new beginning was made.
19:26The Royal Premier League kicked off with 12 teams across Jammu and Kashmir.
19:32For Pulwama, it was more than a match.
19:34It was symbolic.
19:36It felt like an international fixture.
19:38And when thousands of people turned up to cheer,
19:41it was clear this town is ready for change.
19:44In Pulwama, it's the first time there is a day-night cricket match.
19:50And as you can see, there are about 30-40 people here to see this match.
19:54Inchalat, it's a good start.
19:56And this is the beginning of a new hope for the youth of Kashmir
19:59that after years of unjust,
20:03the young people who are full of anxiety and depression in Jammu and Kashmir
20:08and trauma are getting opportunity to organize a match for the first time,
20:15which is a day-night cricket match in Pulwama.
20:18And this initiative is not stopping here.
20:21The tournament will spread across districts,
20:23giving more youth an opportunity to be part of something bigger.
20:26I think the message is that
20:28the youth are very resilient here,
20:31very tough times,
20:33and they need to believe and try to deal with sports through drugs and depression.
20:40And the cricket, which is a very passionate game in Jammu-Kishmir,
20:44our message is to the young people,
20:46that Jammu-Kishmir is the future of Jammu-Kishmir.
20:51And with such events,
20:52you can see the resilience
20:54and also the expectations of the youth of Jammu-Kishmir
20:57towards building a peaceful and resilient society.
21:01For decades, Pulwama's image was tarnished by terrorism.
21:05Today, cricket is giving it a chance to reclaim its name.
21:09A place associated with bloodshed
21:11is now getting known for cheers,
21:14for fans,
21:15for dreams.
21:17But this isn't just about fans
21:24in the stands.
21:25For many young players,
21:27this is a platform,
21:28a chance to showcase talent,
21:30a chance to be picked for state teams,
21:33a chance to one day
21:34wear India's blue jersey.
21:36From strife to sport,
21:44from violence to victory,
21:46Pulwama is proving that hope can rise from the darkest of times.
21:51And cricket has become the baton of change.
21:56The stadium lights have become a beacon,
21:59leading a new path for a whole generation.
22:01And maybe the next hero of Indian cricket
22:05could emerge from Pulwama.
22:10Time for last, sir.
22:11Football World Cup may not have come home just yet,
22:14but rise of freestyle footballers certainly has.
22:17UK is hosting the Freestyle Football World Championship in London.
22:21500 athletes from over 40 countries
22:24are contesting in different categories.
22:26Watch the exceptional talent on display.
22:51Have a great meal!
22:58The meinen
23:21that wraps it up here on first boards I'll of course see you again tomorrow till then bye
23:51you
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