NEW YORK — Taylor Townsend couldn’t covert eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker and was eliminated from the U.S. Open on Sunday with a 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3 loss to Barbora Krejcikova.
With fans chanting “Let’s go Taylor! Let’s go Taylor!” for a player who became a fan favorite during the tournament after her confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko following her second-round victory, Townsend was repeatedly a point away from what would have been her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
But Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, erased seven match points in the tiebreaker, broke Townsend’s serve twice in the third set and advanced to face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula on Tuesday.
Townsend hugged Krejcikova at the net, then sat in her sideline chair and began crying before leaving the court to a standing ovation as she dabbed her eyes with a towel.
In her first 31st Grand Slam appearance, Townsend has never been closer to reaching the last eight. She lost to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu in 2019 in her only other fourth-round appearance.
Townsend remains in the women’s doubles tournament as the No. 1-seeded team with Katerina Siniakova — who won a career Grand Slam in doubles with Krejcikova during their partnership.
By Brian Mahoney
Originally Published:
