Townsend and Siniakova Complete Career Grand Slam as a Pair, Win US Open Doubles

NEW YORK — Taylor Townsend was tense, moving poorly and struggling to time her shots early in Friday’s US Open women’s doubles final.

“I wanted this really badly, and I knew that I wanted it,” she said. “I felt it in my body and my spirit because I was so nervous.”

Playing partner Katerina Siniakova helped steady Townsend through the rough start. The pair then found their rhythm and surged past wild-card entrants Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery to claim their first US Open doubles title together and complete the career Grand Slam as a team.

“It just means the world to me,” Townsend said. “This really means everything to me, not only just to be able to win the US Open but to be able to complete a career Slam.”

The early signs were ominous. Townsend and Siniakova conceded the first three games and dropped the opening set. At one point, the ball slipped between them—an uncharacteristic lapse from two of the sport’s leading doubles players.

Aggressive net play changed the match, and the top seeds took control on their way to a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“The match was very tight, very tough for us, but we found a way to win it,” Siniakova said. “We found a solution. I’m just really happy that we have this one and we can celebrate it together.”

The result validated Townsend’s confidence in her form after being eliminated from the singles draw by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 30-year-old American remained convinced that her game was in good shape and knew she still had another opportunity to compete for a major in doubles.

The triumph became Townsend’s fourth career major after victories at Wimbledon in 2024, the Australian Open in 2025 and the French Open earlier this year. It was Siniakova’s 12th Grand Slam title, including seven with Barbora Krejcikova and one with Coco Gauff.

“It helps to have someone that’s been here so many times and who has been able to get over the hump — what is it, 12? Twelve times,” Townsend said.

Krueger and Montgomery, ranked 570th and 610th respectively, produced an impressive run. They defeated defending champions Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in separate rounds, facing players from opposite halves of the draw along the way. The Americans reunited five years after winning the 2021 US Open girls’ doubles title and reaching the second round of women’s competition.

“We’re both just trying to take it all in,” Montgomery said. “What we’ve just done has been amazing. I think we did forget that we were offered a wild card, so I’m just glad we made good use of it.”

Townsend and Siniakova, who fell to Routliffe and Dabrowski in the previous year’s final, found a better outcome this time. Townsend dropped to her knees after the final point and smiled broadly as she told Siniakova they had finally done it.

“If flipping the script had a face,” Townsend said, “you’d see my face.”

Exactly one year after becoming known for sipping the tournament’s Honey Deuce cocktail at the news conference following her women’s doubles final loss, Townsend returned with one in each hand. Siniakova, holding just one, teased, “Next year, you have three and I have two?”—a lighthearted remark that had the duo already looking ahead to a repeat.

Source link