Printed On 30 Aug 2025
Taylor Townsend is within the highlight on the US Open on account of an interplay she needs had by no means taken place.
Townsend mentioned Jelena Ostapenko informed her she had “no class” and “no training” 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 night time, upsetting fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2.
Going into this Grand Slam, Townsend had nowhere close to the star energy or the title recognition of fellow People Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and he or she shouldn’t be even seeded in singles play. But the 29-year-old, who’s half of the top-ranked ladies’s doubles staff on the earth and was No 1 as a junior participant, has develop into one of many largest tales of the match via 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 with 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 constructive for the US Open and tennis generally.
“If I’m somebody who can draw big crowds into the stadiums as a reputation that may carry individuals to return 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 sort of consideration that it introduced, it’s doing the fitting issues, which is carry individuals to see the game and bringing individuals 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 approach however acknowledged, “That has been a stigma in our neighborhood of being ‘not educated’ and all the 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 the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport.”
Even privately, Townsend mentioned different gamers got here as much as her to broach the topic and specific their help. On-line, she gained hundreds of social media followers.
“It’s cool to know that folks see you and individuals are watching and greater than something,” Townsend mentioned. “I hoped that it was acquired a sure sort of approach, and it was, so it was simply exterior validation that I dealt with issues the fitting approach and that’s what I’m probably the most pleased 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, nevertheless it’s good to know that I made individuals 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 match appearances whereas she centered on getting in higher form.
For the time being, she has develop 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 significant, will face two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.
If she reaches the quarterfinals this time, she desires the lesson to be that it’s OK to face up for your self.
“Generally I really feel like in society, particularly individuals of color, we’re anticipated to be silenced, or generally there are occasions the place we’ve got to determine and be very strategic as to after we communicate up, and in these sort of moments, it’s necessary 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 feel it’s about being unapologetically your self, be pleased in who you’re and by no means permit anybody to take you out of your character and who you’re as an individual.”
