Taylor Townsend booed by Chinese fans after criticizing Chinese food; she apologizes

Taylor Townsend was booed and taunted by Chinese fans as she walked onto the court for a Billie Jean King Cup tie in Shenzhen on Thursday, a day after she publicly apologized for remarks about Chinese cuisine that drew swift backlash. Townsend and fellow American Jessica Pegula took the court for a doubles match against Yulia Putintseva and Elena Rybakina and prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (1) to push the United States toward the semifinals, where they were set to face Great Britain on Saturday.

Townsend came onto the court wearing a red top and a navy skirt that represented the United States, but the crowd greeted her with jeers that persisted through the match. She did not respond to the taunts during the play, concentrating on the task at hand as she and Pegula won in straight sets to keep their title hopes alive in Shenzhen.

A day earlier, Townsend posted a contrite message on social media, apologizing for the remarks she made about the dinner buffet at the tournament gala. In an Instagram story, she said: "Hi, everybody, I just wanted to come on here and apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart. 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 the things that I love most about what I do, and I have had nothing but the most amazing and time here. 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." The apology followed Townsend’s initial salvo during which she shared a series of Instagram stories showing her displeasure with several dishes offered at the gala, including sea cucumber, turtle and bullfrog. In one clip she zoomed in on the sea cucumber and asked, "What the hell?" and later described the buffet as "the craziest thing I’ve ever seen … and people eating this," followed by a blunt rating of two out of ten.

The comments sparked a fresh wave of criticism online, with fans calling the remarks offensive and ignorant. Some social media users argued that Townsend’s remarks reflected a lack of cultural understanding, while others defended her right to express personal views about food. The episode comes less than a month after Townsend was at the center of controversy at the US Open when opponent Jelena Ostapenko criticized her for what Ostapenko called a lack of class and education.

On the court in Shenzhen, Townsend’s taunting by the crowd underscored the tense moment surrounding her comments. The episode did not appear to affect the doubles pairing’s performance, and the American team’s victory, combined with Pegula’s recent form, kept their run alive as they prepared for a semifinal showdown with Great Britain. Townsend’s performance in Shenzhen comes as she navigates a difficult off-court narrative while continuing to compete at the Billie Jean King Cup, where players from the United States have historically sought to maintain momentum in a highly international field.

The tournament organizers have not publicly commented on the crowd’s behavior during Thursday’s match. Officials typically monitor fan conduct closely in the Billie Jean King Cup, and organizers have emphasized the importance of respecting all players, regardless of national origin. Townsend, who is 29 years old, will now look toward Saturday’s semifinal with Britain as she seeks to balance the demands of competition with the scrutiny that has followed her in recent weeks. In Shenzhen, her next test will be on a bigger stage than a single match, as she and Pegula aim to advance to the final and defend America’s standing in the team competition.