Taylor Townsend is no stranger to upset victories, especially at her home Grand Slam.
As a qualifier at the 2019 US Open, the American stunned world No.4 Simona Halep in the third-set tiebreak of their second-round match. A subsequent victory over Sorana Cirstea to reach the final 16 delivered her best Grand Slam performance.
When Townsend, at age 27 and ranked world No.132 in singles, produced her most sparkling attacking tennis to stun No.19 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6(5) 7-5 in the second round of the 2023 US Open on Wednesday, the upset win arguably held even greater significance.
It marked the first time Townsend had reached the third round of a major since that 2019 campaign at Flushing Meadows. More pointedly, it was the first time she had progressed so far as a mother.
After joyous celebrations before an electrified Court 17 crowd, Townsend described a reinvigorated outlook since the birth of her son, Adyn Aubrey, in March 2021.
“Motherhood has given me a different perspective, more so towards the game,” said Townsend, who completed the statement victory in just over two hours.
“I really have fallen back in love not only with the sport, but with the process. For the longest time I was like, ‘I know I can, I know I can, I know I can’. But really now I truly believe, like, I'm a top player.
“Being able to have matches like these and days like these, it shows me that I'm there. I've continued to say to myself, to my team, it's going to happen … I feel this in my gut and I know.”
Indeed, Townsend’s straight-sets victory over Haddad Maia – her second top-20 win in singles this year, alongside an upset of world No.3 Jessica Pegula in Rome – not only highlighted the best of her aggressive tennis but also her composure under pressure.
Townsend held the only break points late in the first set against Haddad Maia but was unable to convert, with the 57-minute opener eventually determined in a tiebreak.
The pair exchanged breaks in the second set, with the American at last gaining an edge over the world No.19 from Brazil when she gained another break in the 11th game and secured victory on her third match point in the following game.
“I’m very proud of the way that I fought and I executed my game plan,” Townsend related. “Honestly, just kept my cool. Bea does a great job of keeping her opponents under pressure.
“I'm most proud of the way I managed myself mentally today.”
Townsend could be prouder still of her work ethic, after returning to the court alongside Leylah Fernandez later in the day and limiting American opponents Olivia Center and Kate Fakih to just three games in a first-round doubles win.
It follows a career-best period in doubles for Townsend, a winner of three titles with three different partners – including Cincinnati with Alycia Parks – in the past year. As runner-up at the 2022 US Open (with Caty McNally) and Roland Garros (with Fernandez) in that time, she currently sits at a peak No.5 in the discipline.
“This is what I train for,” smiled Townsend, when asked to describe the demands of contesting both singles and doubles on the same day at a Slam. “These types of days where I'm in the gym, I'm on the court, you're doing the hours, like, I'm really happy the way it shows up.
“A day like this, I would be proud to share with my son and say, ‘Look, like, you put in the work, and you reap the rewards’. Sometimes you don't know when that's going to happen, but just keep working and it will happen eventually.”
That progress is worth the wait for a joyful Townsend, who has navigated both highs and lows since claiming the Australian Open girls’ singles and doubles titles at age 15 in 2012.
While managing expectations from that performance, the American endured commentary around her fitness and body shape. Later that year, as reigning world No.1 junior, she was asked to sit out the US Open girls’ tournament and denied her request for a wildcard into either the main draw or qualifying.
Townsend’s progress from that difficult period – when she was supported by high-profile figures including Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova – was clear in an on-court interview after the US Open doubles final last year.
“I’ve earned my way to be here, but I think everyone sees that … and this is going to motivate me to go even harder, so watch out for 2023,” Townsend pointed out.
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Overcoming some well-documented form and confidence struggles is another part of the Townsend success story, which she’ll aim to build further when she faces Karolina Muchova in the US Open third round.
“It hasn't been an easy journey,” Townsend acknowledged. “But the belief has come from me putting in the work. Like, I really know that I'm not here by talent. Yes, I have talent, quote-unquote, whatever. But I'm here because I work my ass off to get here.
“Every time that I step on the court, whether it's singles or doubles or mixed doubles, whether it's a Grand Slam or Challenger, I don't take it for granted.”