Taylor Townsend sends defiant US Open message on 'racism' storm after beating No. 5
By ALEX RASKIN, and ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taylor Townsend isn't going anywhere at the US Open.
After her post-match confrontation with Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko earlier in the week, the American stunned fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5 6-2 to advance to a fourth-round matchup with the Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.
This time there were no post-match theatrics from her opponent — only Townsend's triumphant arms raised above her head as the crowd in Queens showered her with applause.
'It's bigger than me,' she told fans afterwards. '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.'
Going into this Grand Slam, Townsend had nowhere near the star power or the name recognition of fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and she is not even seeded in single's play.
Yet the 29-year-old who is half of the top-ranked women's doubles team in the world and was No. 1 as a junior player has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament through no fault of her own.
Taylor Townsend lets out a triumphant scream after upsetting the fifth seed on Friday
Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, shakes hands with Taylor Townsend, of the United States, after Townsend defeated her in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday night in Queens
Still, Townsend hopes the attention around the confrontation and her calling attention to it can be a positive for the U.S. Open and tennis in general.
'If I'm someone who can draw huge crowds into the stadiums as a name that can bring people to come and buy tickets and support the game, then that´s a crown that I'll gladly wear,' Townsend said Thursday.
'Whatever that it is, whatever type of attention that it brought, it's doing the right things, which is bring people to see the sport and bringing people in to support and that's what it's all about.'
Townsend, who is black, and Ostapenko, who is from Latvia, had an intense back and forth after Townsend won in straight sets.
When asked if she thought the comments had racial undertones, Townsend said she didn't take it that way but acknowledged, 'That has been a stigma in our community of being "not educated" and all of the things, when it's the furthest thing from the truth.'
But while Townsend didn't think Ostapenko had any racist intent, many online did. For her part, Ostapenko has denied being racist.
Ostapenko told Townsend she was 'uneducated' and had 'no class' after their match
Gauff and Naomi Osaka were among those who publicly came to Townsend's defense. Osaka called what Townsend reported Ostapenko saying 'one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority white sport.'
Even privately, Townsend said other players came up to her to broach the subject and express their support. Online, she gained thousands of social media followers.
'It's cool to know that people see you and people are watching and more than anything,' Townsend said. 'I was hoping that it was received a certain type of way, and it was, so it was just external validation that I handled things the right way and that's what I'm the most proud of and the most happy with.
'I wasn't looking for that, and in my answers and when I decided and I spoke and I said what I said I wasn't looking for those things, but it's nice to know that I made people proud.'
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