US Open | Focused, fearless, and unapologetic: Taylor Townsend is rewriting her tennis story

NEW YORK: Taylor Townsend isn’t new to tennis, but this version of herself – focused, driven, unapologetic, and fronting her own fiery fashion line — feels crackling fresh.At 29, a mother to a four-year-old and ranked No. 139 in singles and No. 1 in doubles, she’s the standout story of the US Open’s first week. The spotlight may have found Townsend after she stood up to Jelena Ostapenko’s post-match insult, the Latvian saying she had no education or class, but on Friday night, it was her tennis that stole the show. All craft and class.Pitched against the fifth seed, 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, the American, with the crowd behind her, rallied from 0-2 in an intensely fought opening set, for a 7-5, 6-2 win. This is the biggest win here for Townsend since upsetting Simona Halep enroute to the fourth round in 2019. She’ll look to extend her run and reach her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal when she faces 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round on Sunday.
The left-handed American, who sported a full-sleeve tank on a puffball skirt on Friday night, has fought as many battles off the court as she has waged on it.Without significant sponsorship, she took ownership of her image and narrative, launching her own apparel line under the TT label that reflects her journey.“One of the reasons why I did the Phoenix kit for myself,” she said, pointing at the fire element on her sleeve, inspired by the mythical bird, “is the premise of a Phoenix, having to burn or lose your old self in order to emerge as something new. I feel like that's indicative of my career -- me as a person, me as a woman, me as a player.”She underlined, “As a tennis player people have always said, oh, you're so talented, you have so many weapons, you have so many things you can do on the court, but... There was always a but.”Townsend, who won the 2012 junior Australian Open at the age of 15, rising to No.1 in the junior rankings a few months later, saw her early career marred by controversy. The USTA citing concerns over her fitness and body weight sidelined her.“I feel like the work I've been putting in has eliminated that ‘but’,” she said. “I'm emerging as a new person. I feel like today I levelled up. I'm really just so proud of myself. I'm so proud of the way I showed up tonight, the way that I handled business, the way I kept my head on. So, all the things I’ve gone through, it’s only been polishing and shaping and moulding.” “Now you guys see the nice shiny object,” she said, “But it's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes.”Townsend said her run here in 2019 validated her as a player. “This time it just feels completely different,” she said. “I wasn't searching for anything, I wasn't looking, trying to find answers; I had all the answers in here.”Friday was marked by a series of body-related incidents at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.It was the five-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz’s knee on Ashe early in the day. The Spaniard had it looked at before steaming ahead against Luciano Darderi. American sixth seed Ben Shelton wasn’t so fortunate leaving the court in tears, a towel over his head. The 22-year-old was forced to retire against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino with the score level at two sets apiece 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6. Shelton won an epic set point to close the third set and take a 2-1 lead, but during that scramble he took a tumble which seemed to have hurt his left shoulder. Shelton had treatment on court but it didn’t help.The sixth seed signalled to his father and coach Bryan, who asked him to stop. ‘Just stop,’ he gestured, shaking his head. After two unremarkable wins Novak Djokovic produced sharp tennis for a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 win over Cameron Norrie, but it wasn’t without drama. The 38-year-old struggled with what appeared to be a lower back issue when he reached for a high ball at the net late in the first set. Djokovic, who left the court to get treatment, played freely in the third and fourth sets.