Taylor Townsend wrote headlines with her tennis by stunning fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the US Open.
The American found herself splashed across the news worldwide after Jelena Ostapenko confronted her on court following their second-round clash and accused her of having no education and no class.
Townsend’s fellow players leapt to her defence while a debate swirled over whether the remarks were racist – something vehemently denied by Ostapenko.
Townsend was given prime-time billing on Friday under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium and responded with a brilliant performance to beat Andreeva 7-5 6-2.
“God damn this feels good,” she told the crowd. “All I’m going to say is welcome to the show. I feel amazing. I’m really just proud that I kept the main thing the main thing.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me over these last 48 hours. It’s bigger than me. It’s about the message, it’s about the representation, it’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself, and I did that tonight. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend.”
In the press conference room, the 29-year-old reflected on the last 48 hours and keeping her focus on tennis, saying: “It hasn’t been hard at all. I said to my team, ‘I’m made for this type of stuff’.
“I really feel like it wasn’t hard because I stood in my truth. I didn’t have to defend anything that I said.
“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. That’s how I was raised and I’m really embodying that thought process.
“It’s a different type of challenge. It’s a different type of exposure, my social media and all of the people being able to have access and things to say. I said to my team, ‘Dang, I didn’t know this many people had my phone number’.
“So many text messages and stuff, just trying to filter through those things. When I got to the hotel, I said, ‘OK, I’m done’. I put my phone down and I put it on do not disturb.”
Townsend is no stranger to outside noise having been controversially blocked from playing in the women’s singles in New York in 2012 because of her weight despite the then 16-year-old being the top-ranked junior in the world.
Townsend has been open about her fitness struggles, including documenting her efforts to get back into shape following the birth of her son in 2021.
This victory ended a six-year wait both for her first win over a top-five player at a grand slam and first time through to the fourth round.
“Even my kit prior to the US Open, the theme was gems, and we were pulling on diamond in the rough,” said Townsend.
“And with a diamond, when it’s rough, you don’t know what it looks like, but when it’s polished, it’s beautiful. So through all the things that I’ve gone through, it’s only been polishing and shaping and moulding.
“Now you guys see the nice shiny object. But it’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. I’m just so proud of the way that I’m showing up.”
