Taylor Townsend is making the most of her wildcard entry into the 2026 ATX Open, and she didn't mind revealing how tough winning the quarterfinal match was for her.

Townsend may have won 11 WTA titles in doubles, but she hadn't reached the semifinals of even one tournament in the singles category in her 15-year-long professional career. However, this stat changed on February 27, when she defeated Switzerland's Rebeka Masharova 6-2, 6-2, and 5-7 to reach the ATX Open semifinals.

While the scores said a lot about Townsend's efforts, the 29-year-old also used an Instagram story to highlight the intense competition she overcame to achieve the W. Townsend mentioned, "Was a fight today."

Townsend failed to hold back her tears and hurried to her four-year-old son, Adyn, in the stands, giving fans an incredibly wholesome moment.

During her on-court interview, she said, "I'm just so proud of myself, and I'm proud to be able to compete and win in front of AJ to show him that to never give up."

However, Townsend held onto her winning streak even in the semifinal match to reach the finals of the ATX Open. Just like her quarterfinal victory, she also had a lot to say after winning the semifinal match.

Taylor Townsend Shuts Down Critics after Reaching the Final

Townsend put up a remarkable performance at the ATX Open semifinals against Ashlyn Krueger. Despite going down 0-4 in the first set, the 29-year-old made an incredible comeback to seal the match, 6-3, 7⁸-6⁶, in straight sets.

In the post-match interview, the American once again credited her son AJ for the victory while simultaneously closing the mouths of every single person who ever doubted her in the first place.

She said, "Honestly, since having AJ and coming back, I’ve achieved history. I know people say I’m the first mom to achieve it in doubles, but there hasn’t been a singles player to reach number one either.”

"I'm creating a legacy for myself and doing it my way, like I said. And so honestly, everyone that talked sh*t, they’ve got to eat their words. I’m still standing. I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere. And it’s only going to keep getting better from here. So I hope they buckle up,” a defiant Taylor backed herself up against the haters.

This buildup leads to the 2026 ATX Open Final, where Taylor Townsend will face the fourth seed, Peyton Stearns, in an all-American final.

While Townsend and her partner Storm Hunter defeated the duo of Stearns and Venus Williams in doubles competition, the victory will be so much sweeter if the 29-year-old can win her maiden singles title in front of her son.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Souvik Roy