Taylor Townsend brought the fire, and Jelena Ostapenko couldn’t take the heat or the L. Crumbling in defeat she called Taylor classless and uneducated.
But the couch is where she’s sitting now as the new Queen of the net is working her way up to the top.
And as CNN put it, painted flames curled around her sleeves as she stunned world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 in the third round of the US Open on Friday.
The design represents phoenixes, as Taylor says, “The premise is you having to burn or lose your old self in order to emerge as something new. I feel like that’s indicative of my career, me as a person, me as a woman, me as a player.”
Taylor defeated Andreeva who is ranked 134 places above her, in just 76 minutes. It’s the best she’s performed since at a grand slam singles tournament, since the 2019 US Open where she advanced to the 4th round as well.
The crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium gave her a standing ovation as she thanked everyone who has supported her over the last 48 hours.
She said, “It’s bigger than me, it’s about the message, it’s about the representation. You guys saw the real Taylor tonight.”
Tay Tay will face two-time grand slam singles winner Barbora Krejčíková in the fourth round.