"Shows people that look like us it’s possible": Taylor Townsend credits Frances Tiafoe & Coco Gauff after US Open doubles final loss with Donald Young
Taylor Townsend and Donald Young came up just short of providing a perfect ending to their dream run at the 2024 US Open. The Americans had to settle for the runners-up trophy in the mixed doubles category in New York after losing to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in the final.
Taylor Townsend and Donald Young were given a main-draw wildcard at the 2024 US Open and did brilliantly to reach the final. Here, they faced the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori on September 5.
Both sets were close but the Italians eventually edged out the American 7-6(0), 7-5 to win mixed doubles crown at US Open 2024.
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Taylor Townsend appeared disappointed after a tough loss. However, she stressed the importance of her even reaching the final as a black woman and showing others who look like her that everything is possible.
Townsend also mentioned the impact of other Black players like Frances Tiafoe, who is currently in the men's singles semifinal at the US Open, and Coco Gauff, the defending women's singles champion.
“This isn’t the trophy that we wanted,” Townsend said at the trophy ceremony. “But at the end of the day, I’m the only Black woman left in the tournament & there are two black men left in the draw. And ultimately, I just hope that Donald and I standing here today, Frances [Tiafoe] in the semifinals, Coco [Gauff] being the defending champion, just shows people that look like us that it’s possible," she said.
Taylor Townsend expressed gratitude to her mixed doubles, Donald Young, who will retire from tennis after the US Open. The American remembered being with Young during his junior days and watching him win the junior title at the Australian Open in 2005. She thanked Young and his family for inspiring her to pick up tennis and succeed.
“Standing here today with Donald means the world to me because he’s been in my life forever. I was able to be close up to him when he was junior, winning junior Australian Open. And being able to come home and to see someone doing this at such a high level, it inspired me and I don’t honestly know if I’d be here today if it wasn’t for him and his family,” she concluded.
Donald Young's father, Donald Sr., was Taylor Townsend's first coach, and she trained under him at his tennis facility in Atlanta, Georgia, during her younger days. In fact, Young's mother, Ilona, suggested that Townsend, who is right-handed, hold the racket with the left hand.
Taylor Townsend and Donald Young have played US Open mixed doubles six times
Taylor Townsend has partnered with Donald Young to play mixed doubles at the US Open six times in her career. She made her mixed doubles Grand Slam debut with Young at the 2011 US Open and reached the semifinals in Flushing Meadows three years later.
Townsend and Young were given the main draw wildcard at the 2014 US Open. They defeated the likes of second-seed Andrea Hlavackova-Alexander Peya and Ashleigh Barty-John Peers before losing to Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez in the semifinals.
They continued to pair up for the US Open mixed doubles four more times (2015, 2016, 2018, and 2024). This year, Townsend-Young defeated defending champions Harri Heliovaara and Anna Danilina en route to the runners-up finish.