The 29-year-old American overpowered the Russian teenager 7-5, 6-2 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, sealing her first appearance in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows since 2019.
Townsend’s victory came just two days after a heated fallout with Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who accused her of having “no education” and “no class” following their second-round clash. The remarks sparked widespread condemnation, with former world number one Naomi Osaka describing them as “one of the worst things you could say to a black tennis player.”
Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, denied any racial intent, while Townsend herself later clarified that she did not interpret the comments as racially motivated. Even so, she admitted the spotlight surrounding the incident made her triumph over Andreeva feel symbolic.
“This feels good,” Townsend told the New York crowd after her win. “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. It’s bigger than me—it’s about the message, it’s about representation, it’s about being bold and showing up as yourself. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight.”
Townsend produced fearless shot-making throughout the encounter, hitting 23 winners and displaying the kind of aggressive tennis that once made her the world’s top junior. She battled through a tight first set before running away with the second, needing just 76 minutes to complete the upset.
Currently ranked world number one in doubles after title-winning runs at Wimbledon and the Australian Open alongside Katerina Siniakova, Townsend sits at 139th in singles. Friday’s triumph was only her third career victory over a top-10 opponent, following wins against Simona Halep in 2019 and Jessica Pegula last year.
Reflecting in her post-match press conference, Townsend revealed that she had been inundated with messages of support after the Ostapenko controversy. “I said to my team, ‘I’m made for this type of stuff.’ I didn’t have to defend anything because I stood in my truth. I would never allow outside drama to distract me from my goal on the court,” she said.
She added that she eventually switched her phone to “do not disturb” after the flood of calls and texts. “I didn’t know this many people had my number,” she laughed.
Townsend will next face unseeded Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round on Sunday as she bids to extend her memorable run in New York.