Taylor Townsend gets her first singles victory on the WTA tour since the 2020 Australian Open. The 2020 US Open was the last time we saw her playing before she went off on maternity leave. Townsend returned to the WTA tour in May of this year at the French Open, where she lost in the first round to Caroline Garcia. She is playing under a protected ranking with a current singles ranking of 316. At twenty-six years old, the American still has a shot of regaining her career high ranking of sixty-one.
Taylor Townsend Fought Through The Nerves
In a match between two players ranked outside of the top two hundred anything was possible. In this first ever encounter between the two, Storm Sanders was the more nervous. The first set was over before she could catch her breath. Townsend showed that she was also nervous in the second set. There were forehand and backhand errors flying all over the court; however, she was saved by some brilliant serving.
Embed from Getty ImagesSanders Started And Ended Nervous
Just when it looked like the Australian was going to make this a contest, she got tight in the latter stages of the set. Serving to go up five four, her game fell apart, and the American capitalized on the opportunity to break her opponent. It was not a highly competitive match, but there were moments of brilliant play from the American. Townsend served well, winning more than 75% of her first serves and also did extremely well on her second serve. Sanders struggled to win points on her second serve but showed some of her skills on the forehand side.
It Does Not Get Easier For The American
The American will face either the hard-hitting Elena Rybakina [2022 Wimbledon champion] or the versatility of Daria Kasatkina. She will have her hands full with either player. I am curious to see if today’s victory will settle the nerves and allow her to play her best tennis against a much higher ranked player. For the moment Townsend will celebrate her 6-1, 6-4 victory, thankful that she gets a day off before her next match.
SOURCE OF IMAGES: COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
1 Comment