Even if you don’t watch tennis, after this past week, you probably know who Taylor Townsend is. She came into the US Open unseeded, but she has left a memorable impression. Last Wednesday, after solidly defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the second round. Yet, she had to endure insults to her character lobbed at her by her opponent. For the next 48 hours, that’s all anyone wanted to talk to Townsend about, and then she had to play again. But like a phoenix, she rises, again and again. And she and Kateřina Siniaková are the number-one seeds in women’s doubles to boot.
The Post-Match Exchange
It seems that Ostapenko has a history of outbursts. But she was expecting an apology for a net cord that Townsend won a point off. So, instead of shaking hands like a reasonable person at the end of the match, she went on that tirade. In which she told 29-year-old Townsend, “You have no class and no education.”
Townsend replied, “You need to learn how to take a loss better.” At first, you may think this is a replay of Coco Gauff at the French Open. But this was far more inflammatory, which the Tennis podcast pointed out in the clip below. It also took days before Ostapenko’s non-apology. But Taylor needed to carry on.
Townsend’s Late Night Upset of Mira Andreeva on Friday Night
The crowd stayed until midnight at Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Taylor Townsend’s match on Friday night, August 29th. They were not disappointed. Playing against 18-year-old Mira Andreeva, she was in her element—the encounter with Ostenpenko out of her mind. While the first set was close, 7-5. Townsend seemed to dominate the second set, and Andreeva’s emotions got the better of her.
Reflections on the Incidents with Ostapenko
In a post-match interview, Townsend was asked about her last 48 hours and how she was feeling about it. Here is how she responded.
“It’s bigger than me,” Townsend, 29, said on court after the match. “It’s about the message. It’s about the representation. It’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself, and I did that tonight. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight,” she said.
Townsend Showing Up as Herself
What made that win against Andreeva special was that it got Townsend to the Round 16 for the first time since 2019. And she was unapologetic about showing up as herself. Watching her play with Ben Shelton is especially delightful.
“God damn, this feels good,” Townsend said after her win. “All I’m going to say is welcome to the show. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work.
Townsend is also a mother.
“I want to dedicate this win to my coach. We’ve been through blood, sweat, and tears, also to my son, Adyn. He’ll be here tomorrow. He’s been telling his teachers at school, ‘I’m going to New York to see my mom.’ So this just felt so good.”
Townsend Put Her All Into the 4th Round
On Sunday, Townsend had a tough match against Barbora Krejcikova. The second set lasted 98 minutes, according to ESPN, the longest set of any women’s draw. With a tiebreaker in the second set that ended 15-13. But in the end, she couldn’t pull it out. 1-6, 7-6, 6-3. In the second set, she was a point away from her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal over and over again. But Townsend lost seven match points to her Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam Champion.
After the loss, Townsend did cry in the sideline chair before leaving the court. “It just stings because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.”
What Her Son Said to Her Afterward
When she saw her son, Adyn, 4, according to People, he had come to see her play, she said. “Good job, Mom!” She said, “Adyn, I lost. He replied. “That’s okay. ‘That’s the attitude.’ So I’m trying to embody that.” Then asked her if she wanted to work out, maybe do some squats after she had played three hours of tennis.
While Townsend didn’t win the match, she did show us what a winner looks like because she is a winner through and through.
