In a phoenix-themed kit, American soars into second week
©Mike Stobe / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFPAs Taylor Townsend said after her US Open third-round victory over fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva, she really is “made for this”.
Townsend was answering a question about how difficult it was to block the outside noise and just focus on tennis in the aftermath of her defeat of Jelena Ostapenko, who accused her of poor sportsmanship and exchanged words with Townsend at the net when their match was over.
Despite a poor choice of words from Ostapenko, who has since apologised publicly on social media, Townsend kept her cool and walked away from the conversation.
The American then won three matches in the following three days, two in doubles and one in singles, and is now set to take on two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday in the last 16 stage on Louis Armstrong stadium.
“It hasn't been hard at all. I said to my team, ‘I'm made for this type of stuff’,” said Townsend.
“I really feel like it wasn't hard, because I stood in my truth.
“It was also good because I had doubles the next day. So I had to get right back on the page, because at the end of the day, I would never allow any drama or anything on the outside to deter me from what my goal is when I step into the lines on the court.
“When I step into those gates, nothing that's happening on the outside matters.
“That's how I was raised and I'm really embodying that thought process.”
Watching Townsend move past Andreeva during Friday’s night session on Arthur Ashe stadium to return to the US Open fourth round for the first time since 2019, one cannot deny that she really is “made for this”.
The crafty lefty, who is currently the No.1 doubles player in the world, was made for prime-time tennis, played in the biggest tennis stadium on the planet, in front of 23,000 people.
She was made for talking to the press, speaking her truth, and making thoughtful statements.
She was made for representing her culture. Was made for battling through adversity.
And as her on-court match kit that features flames of fire meant to evoke a phoenix rising from the ashes suggests, Townsend was made for this moment on the grand stage, at her home Slam, where 13 years ago, she was denied a wildcard when she was junior world No.1.
In 2019, Townsend shocked a fourth-seeded Simona Halep to record the first top-10 win of her career en route to the US Open fourth round. A year later, the American lost in the opening round in New York and went on maternity leave, giving birth to her son Adyn in 2021.
Since her return to the tour in 2022, Townsend has won two Grand Slams in doubles – Wimbledon 2024 and Australian Open 2025 – and rose to a career-high ranking of 46 in singles last summer, before topping the doubles world rankings last month.
She will now try to reach a maiden Grand Slam singles quarter-final when she takes on Krejcikova on Sunday.
“In 2019 I felt like I was climbing, and I was trying to get over the hump, and there were so many opportunities where I was, like, I almost got there and didn't get it,” she said on Friday.
“I felt like that match, when I played Halep was a turning point for me where I got over that hump of finally just, I got one, you know what I'm saying?
“I just felt like it helped validate me as a player, and then I was able to continue, and then I ended up losing to Bianca in three sets and she ended up winning the tournament.
“This time it just feels completely different. I wasn't searching for anything, I wasn't looking, trying to find answers; I had all the answers in here.
“I was so confident and so sure of myself and what I was doing and how I was executing, that it didn't matter if I hit the back fence, hit the bottom of the net, it didn't matter. I just kept going. So it just felt completely different. I'm a totally different person than I was in 2019, and I think that that showed.”
Townsend has been working hard on the mental side of her game and is exuding confidence both on and off the court. She assures it is not an act but simply a result of the self-work she has put in.
Her son Aydin has arrived in New York ahead of her fourth round and she says snapping into “mom mode” the second she steps off court helps keep her mind off of tennis – and any off-court noise – between matches.
Townsend’s social media following has more than doubled this week, in the wake of her run-in with Ostapenko, and she is keen on sending out a positive and inspirational message to anyone paying attention.
“I think that's one of the reasons why I did the phoenix kit for myself. You know, a phoenix is, you know, a made-up creature, but the premise is you having to burn or lose your old self in order to emerge as something new,” said Townsend, who has created her own personal apparel line, which she wears during her matches.
“I feel like that's indicative of my career, me as a person, me as a woman, me as a player. You know, as a tennis player, you know, people have always said, ‘Oh, you're so talented, you have so many weapons, you have so many things you can do’, but there was always a ‘but’.
“I feel like the work I've put in and all the things I've been doing has eliminated that ‘but’.
“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.”
She added: “I'm proud to be in the position that I am. I'm proud to honour my culture. I'm proud to be here as an American player representing here at the US Open and being able to get the love and support that I've gotten from the crowd and the fans and everyone even outside. So I'm leaning in on it, I'm taking everything as it is, and I'm just enjoying the ride.”
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
