Taylor Townsend took a moment to send a very classy message to Venus Williams, calling the American tennis icon “an icon” and highlighting that she felt “honored” to be on the same court with her.
On Tuesday evening, spectators at the Louis Armstrong Stadium had a chance to watch 45-year-old Williams and her 23 years younger partner Leylah Fernandez take on Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in the US Open doubles quarterfinal. On one side, it was entertaining because the match featured a seven-time Grand Slam champion – former world No. 1 – and one of the most iconic players in American tennis history. The fact that they played against the best women’s doubles duo made it even more intriguing.
Unfortunately, Williams and Fernandez – who beat two seeded pairs and one unseeded en route to making the quarterfinal – didn’t manage to make it a competitive battle as top-seeded Townsend and Siniakova sealed a 6-1 6-2 win.
Townsend to Williams: You and Serena inspired me, today was an honor
"Growing up watching Venus and [her sister] Serena, for me and my sister, it was an inspiration. It was an honor to share the court today,” Townsend said after the match.
Her doubles partner Siniakova added: “It's tough to describe it in words, it's a privilege. She is a legend and I really enjoyed it.”
Meanwhile, Williams also had a classy post-match message for Townsend and Siniakova as she declared them “a great team.”
“We played a great team. They have been playing together for years. They've had a lot of success. They just had a little bit more time to pull it all together than we did. We wish them luck,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner in singles said.
In the same presser, the 45-year-old underlined that her career wasn’t over. Also, the American indicated that she will accept playing certain tournaments if given a main draw wildcard.
