'It's bigger than me' -- Townsend makes big statement in upset of Andreeva - ESPN

American Taylor Townsend made the most of a spot in prime time at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night, stunning fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since 2019.

Going into this Grand Slam tournament, Townsend had nowhere near the star power or the name recognition of fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and she is not seeded in singles play. Yet, Townsend, who is half of the top-ranked women's doubles team in the world and was No. 1 as a junior player, has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament after her postmatch argument with Jelena Ostapenko and the subsequent discourse surrounding it.

«It's bigger than me,» Townsend, 29, said on the court after the match. «It's about the message. It's about the representation. It's about being bold and being able to show up as yourself and I did that tonight. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight.»

Townsend hopes the spotlight from the confrontation and her calling attention to it can be a positive for the US Open and tennis in general.

«If I'm someone who can draw huge crowds into the stadiums as a name that can bring people to come and buy tickets and support the game, then that's a crown that I'll gladly wear,» Townsend said. «Whatever that it is, whatever type of attention that it brought, it's doing the right things, which is bring people to see the sport and bringing people in to support, and that's what it's all about.»

Townsend, who is Black, and Ostapenko, who is from Latvia, had an intense back-and-forth after Townsend won in straight sets. After their match, Townsend said Ostapenko berated her for not apologizing for a net cord and then used insulting language and questioned