Revealed On 30 Aug 2025
Taylor Townsend is within the highlight on the US Open because of an interplay she needs had by no means taken place.
Townsend mentioned Jelena Ostapenko instructed her she had “no class” and “no schooling” throughout a face-to-face argument after their second-round match on Wednesday.
An enormous crowd cheered her on in doubles on Thursday, and Townsend made probably the most of a spot in prime time at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday evening, upsetting fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2.
Going into this Grand Slam, Townsend had nowhere close to the star energy or the identify recognition of fellow People Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and he or she will not be even seeded in singles play. But the 29-year-old, who’s half of the top-ranked girls’s doubles crew on the earth and was No 1 as a junior participant, has change into one of many largest tales of the event by way of no fault of her personal.
“It’s greater than me,” she mentioned on the court docket after the match. “It’s concerning the message, it’s concerning the illustration, it’s about being daring and having the ability to present up as your self and I did that tonight. You guys noticed the actual Taylor Townsend tonight.”
Townsend hopes the eye across the confrontation and her calling consideration to it may be a optimistic for the US Open and tennis usually.
“If I’m somebody who can draw large crowds into the stadiums as a reputation that may convey folks to come back and purchase tickets and help the sport, then that’s a crown that I’ll gladly put on,” Townsend mentioned. “No matter that it’s, no matter kind of consideration that it introduced, it’s doing the appropriate issues, which is convey folks to see the game and bringing folks in to help and that’s what it’s all about.”
Townsend, who’s Black, and Ostapenko, who’s from Latvia, had an intense back-and-forth after Townsend received in straight units. When requested if she thought the feedback had racial undertones, Townsend mentioned she didn’t take it that manner however acknowledged, “That has been a stigma in our group of being ‘not educated’ and the entire issues, when it’s the furthest factor from the reality.”
Gauff and Naomi Osaka have been amongst those that publicly got here to Townsend’s defence. Osaka referred to as what Townsend reported Ostapenko as saying, “one of many worst issues you’ll be able to say to a Black tennis participant in a majority white sport.”
Even privately, Townsend mentioned different gamers got here as much as her to broach the topic and categorical their help. On-line, she gained 1000’s of social media followers.
“It’s cool to know that individuals see you and individuals are watching and greater than something,” Townsend mentioned. “I hoped that it was obtained a sure kind of manner, and it was, so it was simply exterior validation that I dealt with issues the appropriate manner and that’s what I’m probably the most happy with and probably the most proud of. I wasn’t on the lookout for that, and in my solutions and after I determined and I spoke and I mentioned what I mentioned I wasn’t on the lookout for these issues, however it’s good to know that I made folks proud.”
Townsend is within the fourth spherical on the US Open, greater than a decade after the US Tennis Affiliation determined to carry her out of junior competitors over considerations about her health. The organisation in 2012 withheld funding for her event appearances whereas she centered on getting in higher form.
In the meanwhile, she has change into dominant in doubles, successful Wimbledon final yr and the Australian Open earlier this yr with companion Katerina Siniakova, and the pair is the highest seed in Flushing Meadows.
Townsend, who has not gotten previous the fourth spherical in singles at a serious, will face two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.
If she reaches the quarterfinals this time, she needs the lesson to be that it’s OK to face up for your self.
“Generally I really feel like in society, particularly folks of color, we’re anticipated to be silenced, or generally there are occasions the place we have now to determine and be very strategic as to once we converse up, and in these kind of moments, it’s essential for me to talk up, not just for myself however for my tradition,” Townsend mentioned.
“It doesn’t matter what, it doesn’t matter what consideration comes or no matter, I believe it’s about being unapologetically your self, be comfortable in who you might be and by no means enable anybody to take you out of your character and who you might be as an individual.”
