Taylor Townsend books milestone singles final, doubles title shot in Austin

Taylor Townsend delivered a perfect double at the ATX Open on Saturday, booking her first WTA singles final before teaming with Storm Hunter to reach the doubles final.

Multitalented Townsend has long been a force on the doubles court, where she has lifted two Grand Slam trophies (2024 Wimbledon, 2025 Australian Open) and last year rose to WTA doubles world No. 1.

The 29-year-old has been awaiting her singles breakthrough, but it may all be clicking in Austin.

In her career-first WTA singles semifinal, Townsend took down Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (6), 6-3 on Center Court, rallying from 0-4 in the first set to clinch victory in one hour and 49 minutes.

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“I’m creating a legacy for myself, and I’m doing it my way,” Townsend said in her on-court interview, after being asked to reflect on well-documented career ups and downs.

“You know, honestly, everyone that’s talked sh-t they gotta eat their words!

“I’m still standing, I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere. And it’s only just going to keep getting better from here, so I hope that they buckle up.”

Townsend was back on court a few hours later with Hunter as the No. 1 seeded doubles team, taking down another American-Australian duo in Cathy McNally and Kimberly Birrell, 7-5, 6-4.

She will play for both titles on Sunday.

Her opponent in the singles final is No. 4 seed Peyton Stearns, a 24-year-old from Cincinnati with deep Austin connections.

Stearns played college tennis at the University of Texas, where she was a three-time All-American and helped the Longhorns capture back-to-back NCAA team titles.

All week long, she has been cheered on by actor and fellow Texas graduate Matthew McConaughey. Clips shared by the tournament on social media show Stearns behind the scenes with the Interstellar star and taking selfies together while holding up the Hook ’em Horns sign.

Ranked No. 62 in the world, Stearns took down Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals on Saturday.

Stearns advanced to her third WTA 250 final and her first on hard courts. She previously won Rabat in 2024 and was runner-up in Bogota in 2023, with both results coming on clay.