WHAT HAPPENED: In front of a standing room only crowd on Court 11 Wednesday afternoon, American favorite Taylor Townsend delivered an electric performance in her second-round match against No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko, upsetting the Latvian, 7-5, 6-1, to advance into the third round of the 2025 US Open for the second time in her career.
The win pushes Townsend ahead 2-1 in head-to-head meetings with the 28-year-old Ostapenko, as the American has won their last two contests without dropping a set.
From the opening point, there was not a seat to be had around the intimate setting of Court 11, with many fans in the pro-American crowd craning their necks from the perimeter to catch a glimpse of the action. The energy surrounding Townsend was nothing short of exhilarating, a feeling she certainly used to fuel her inspired play.
“[The fans] were so loud. I love Court 11,” Townsend said of the atmosphere. “I think the whole park could hear the court and the fans. I think that it's really cool that the spectators are able to kind of have that experience.”
Ostapenko began the match playing ruthless in her return game, stepping in to take big cuts at the American’s serve, a tactic that gave her two early breaks for a 3-0 lead to begin the match. But once Townsend settled in and started connecting more on first serves, she earned one break back, then followed with two consecutive holds at love to narrow the gap, 4-5.
“She was playing amazing in the first set and couldn't miss,” Townsend said. “I had my head down and head in my strings and just tried to just continue to plug away. That's what I kept telling myself. Keep fighting. Hopefully you'll get a break and you'll get an opportunity to try and implement some of your strategy.”
And that she did. On the business end of the set, the momentum shifted as Townsend was now the one stepping in on returns and controlling the points, firing sharp-angled winners to notch another break and get back on serve before taking the lead with a hold for 6-5.
With the boisterous crowd on its feet and shouting the ever-present “Let’s go, Taylor!” chant, costly errors from Ostapenko’s racquet began to pile up, giving Townsend three set points on the Latvian’s serve. She converted on the third, taking the opening set 7-5.
When Ostapenko opted for a bathroom break at the changeover, Townsend took a boxer’s approach to stay warm, pulling out the jump rope as she talked strategy with her coach and hopping around furiously to practice her footwork.
Townsend continued playing lights-out tennis into the second, firing return winners at will and not losing a single point on serve to take an early 3-0 lead. By then, everything was going the American’s way, to the tune of a 5-0 lead before Ostapenko held serve to get on the board, 5-1.
An ace from Townsend and three errors from Ostapenko allowed the 29-year-old to hold at love and seal the win after 76 minutes.
Things got heated at the post-match handshake when Ostapenko had a few words with Townsend regarding a lack of apology on a net cord that led to Ostapenko losing the point.
“It is what it is, but I stand strong and I stand firm in who I am,” Townsend said. “I don't back down from confrontation. And, again, it's sports. This is a part of sport... I don't take any offense to it, but I'm really proud of the way that I handled myself.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The current No. 1-ranked doubles player, Townsend reached the singles quarterfinals in Washington this summer as a qualifier, then followed with a third-round finish in Cincinnati. With Wednesday’s win, she matches her best US Open result of reaching the third round, as she did in 2023.
She will likely face her toughest test yet in the next stage against a Top 10 opponent should No. 5 Mirra Andreeva advance past Anastasia Potapova in their second-round contest.
MATCH POINT: Showcasing her own line of clothing at this year’s event, Townsend wore a black tennis dress lined with flames around the bottom of the skirt, sending a not-so-subtle message that her game was on fire Wednesday afternoon. As if on cue, the crowd began singing the popular Alicia Keys song “Girl on Fire” during a changeover in the second set.
