[116] Taylor Townsend (USA) vs. [154] Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)

A Difference Of Four Years

At twenty-seven, time is running out for Cepede Royg. The highest she ever got in the rankings was seventy-three and that was two years ago. Cepede Royg has never gotten to a singles final or won a singles title.

At twenty-three, the American still has time to showcase the talent that she has; however, time is of the essence for Townsend. She should not be playing in the qualifying rounds of tournaments after nine years on tour. Townsend is too talented a player to be ranked this low. Last year, she got to a career high of sixty-one and frankly, she should be consistently in the top twenty.

So why has Townsend not had the breakthrough given her talent?

The Talent Is Still There

My observation after watching her play yesterday is that she needs to get physically fitter. At 5’7”, her BMI is too high. Speaking from experience, it is a lot more physically demanding to run around effectively on a tennis court when you have excess weight on your frame.

Townsend has adapted her game to suit her weight, which is the opposite of what she needs to do. She struggled in the long rallies yesterday. She has incorporated loopy shots to give her time to recover, which will not work against the top players on tour.

The Desire Is Also Still There

If Townsend is serious about maximizing her potential as a tennis player, her game needs a complete overhaul. However, she needs to realize this herself. I cannot imagine she is happy with the progress she has made since turning professional.

Still, this was a good win for Townsend, who had lost all previous matches to Cepede Royg. After dropping the first set, she fought back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. I would really love to see the American get to the top of the game; yet, as I have often been told, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”.

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