‘it’s Bigger Than Me’: Taylor Townsend Topples No 5 Andreeva In Us Open Shock

Taylor Townsend capped a whirlwind week astatine nan US Open pinch 1 of nan performances of her career, upsetting No 5 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 successful 76 minutes nether nan lights connected Arthur Ashe Stadium to scope nan 4th information successful New York for nan first clip since 2019.

The 29-year-old American, classed extracurricular nan apical 100 successful singles but world No 1 successful doubles, surged past nan teenage prodigy pinch fearless shot-making and changeless unit astatine nan net. Townsend won 21 of 29 points erstwhile she came forward, struck 23 winners and kept her composure done a tense opening group earlier racing distant successful nan second. It was her 3rd profession triumph complete a top-10 opponent, joining victories complete Simona Halep present successful 2019 and Jessica Pegula successful Rome past year.

Townsend, a erstwhile world No 1 inferior who reinvented herself arsenic a doubles star, has go 1 of nan tournament’s cardinal figures. That owes to her second-round triumph complete Jelena Ostapenko, aft which she revealed that nan Latvian told her she had “no class” and “no education”. The comments, which Ostapenko justified arsenic a guidance to Townsend not apologizing for a changeable that deed nan apical of nan net, prompted accusations of racism.

“I besides want to opportunity convey you to everyone who supported maine complete these past 48 hours,” Townsend told nan crowd afterwards. “It’s bigger than me. It’s astir nan message, it’s astir nan representation, it’s astir being bold and being capable to show up arsenic yourself and I did that tonight. You guys saw nan existent Taylor Townsend tonight.”

The contention tapped into a longer narrative. In 2012 nan USTA asked Townsend, past nan world’s apical junior, to beryllium retired nan US Open inferior arena and denied her chaotic cards into nan main tie aliases qualifying because of concerns complete her fitness. The move, condemned by Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Lindsey Davenport, forced her mother to salary her measurement and yet led Townsend to time off nan federation’s programme to activity pinch Zina Garrison.

That nan aforesaid subordinate erstwhile deemed “not ready” for Ashe could return years later to dismantle 1 of nan sport’s astir heralded prodigies connected its biggest shape said to nan extent of her resilience. Already a Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champion alongside Katerina Siniakova, Townsend proved connected Friday she still has nan powerfulness to make her people successful singles, too.

For Andreeva, 18, nan conclusion brought an extremity to a play of near-metronomic consistency astatine nan majors, wherever she had reached nan 2nd week astatine each of nan first 3 slams of nan year, including quarter-finals astatine Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Russian, who claimed WTA 1000 titles astatine Dubai and Indian Wells earlier successful 2025, was overpowered successful nan closing stages arsenic Townsend’s assurance grew.

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