One more win, and Taylor Townsend is a World No. 1

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Like everyone else here, Taylor Townsend is a huge fan of Venus Williams, who continues to make surreal history in real time at the age of 45.

But that doesn’t mean she’s obligated to give her a free pass.

“In tennis there always has to be a winner and a loser,” Townsend said on Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. “I want to be on the winning side and I’m going to do everything I can to be on the winning side.”

On Wednesday, she doubled down on that promise, partnering with Zhang Shuai to defeat the 45-year-old Williams and Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 3-6, [10-6]. It was the first defeat of the tournament for Williams, who will play a second-round singles match on Thursday.

It was the second win in as many days for the first-time team of Townsend and Zhang. Not only does that send them into Friday’s semifinals, but it sets up the prospect of some heady history for the 29-year-old mother.

With a win on Friday -- their opponent has yet to be determined -- Townsend would ascend next week to No. 1 in the PIF WTA Rankings. She would be only the 50th player to reach No. 1 in the four decades they’ve been tracking it -- and the first mother to do so in doubles. It’s a small, and now even more exclusive, club.

What would it mean to be No. 1?

“I mean, it would be a dream -- it is a dream,” Townsend told wtatennis.com. “It’s one of the goals that I set for myself when I actually began to think it was attainable. When I looked at the rankings, honestly, recently, I was like, ‘Whoa.’ 

“I knew that I was in a race with my partner [Katerina Siniakova]. I never usually look at the rankings, but my coach [John Williams] brought it to my attention. He said, ‘You’re close.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ I thought I was way far off from Kat.

How do they figure these things out? It’s a complicated calculus, so pay close attention:

Start with Siniakova, currently enjoying her 46^th consecutive week as the doubles World No. 1. She and Townsend have been playing together since 2024, when the 29-year-old Czech Republic player mostly parted ways with longtime partner Barbora Krejcikova. Siniakova and Townsend won the titles at Wimbledon and the year-end WTA Tour championships in 2024 and have already added the Australian Open and Dubai to their trophy case.

This week, Siniakova -- like Townsend, a Top 100 singles player -- elected to play singles at her home tournament, the Prague Open. It was a good decision, because she’s already through to the quarterfinals. But by not playing doubles, she’ll drop the 250 points she earned last year by winning the title with Krejcikova.

Townsend, meanwhile, would earn 195 points for reaching the finals, giving her a 7,930-7,820 edge over Siniakova for No. 1. A win in Saturday’s final would give her a 185-point lead. Through a quirk of the schedule, Townsend would enjoy those points, plus the 500 for winning the 2024 D.C. title (with Asia Muhammad) for one more week.

Got that?

There’s another doubles storyline at work, too. Townsend is scheduled to play mixed doubles with 22-year-old fellow American Ben Shelton at the US Open. The event will be played ahead of the main event and, consequently, feature some of the biggest names in tennis.

“I’m excited to play, and I’m excited to see how things go, because the field is amazing,” Townsend said. “The players are spectacular. And I think it’s really cool to be able to also do this during Fan Week and qualies week where then you’re bringing an influx of fans, people, celebrities, all of these different types, these energies that are coming to the tournament.”

Townsend, of course, brings her own undeniable energy to the party. She’s been doubted at every level, but has always managed to silence the skeptics. It’s happening again with her new self-branded clothing line.

“This is a very intentional and conscious choice,” said Townsend, who last had a clothing sponsor eight years ago. “I have had many accomplishments and have proven myself two, three, four, five, six times over. I’m No. 2 in the world in doubles. I don’t have a clothing sponsor. I have two Grand Slam titles. I don’t have a clothing sponsor.”

So, with the help of creative director Alexander John (LA Gear, Puma, Roc Nation) she created her own, featuring a distinctive “TT” logo.

“People are going to start doing what I’m doing, I guarantee you,” she said. “But I also hope I can inspire other athletes to bet on themselves. That's the biggest thing -- I’m betting on myself.”

It’s something she’s done for years.

Townsend said her mother dug out some old journals of hers when she was a kid. In one of them, eight-year-old Taylor said she wanted to be No. 1 in the world in doubles. 

“But I loved watching doubles, loved watching Martina Navratilova play, so it was one of the things I always enjoyed playing,” Townsend said. “I’m not going to lie to you and say I knew I could do it -- no, no. I didn’t know what I was saying at that age.

“It was something I wrote down. It was a dream and now that I know it’s a possibility, I’m going to try and do everything I can to get it. If it’s in my path, it’s in my path. If it’s not, I’m really happy with where I am.”