Taylor Townsend Surges into US Open Third Round After Dramatic Comeback Victory

Wildcard Taylor Townsend continued her summer surge at the 2025 Cincinnati Open on Friday night, stunning fellow American Danielle Collins 6-4, 7-6 (2) to book a place in the second round of the WTA 1000 event at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The 28-year-old left-hander, who climbed to doubles world No. 1 earlier this season, delivered 26 winners and broke Collins three times, leaning on her trademark net-rushing and biting lefty serve. The victory marks Townsend’s first main-draw win in Cincinnati and injects fresh momentum into her singles comeback just three weeks before the US Open. Road back to relevance Once heralded as a junior prodigy, the Chicago native paused her career in 2021 to give birth to son Adyn. Since returning, Townsend has juggled motherhood with a relentless tournament schedule, trimming her ranking from outside the top 400 to No. 72 and counting. Off court, she revealed this week that a minor shoe-bag mix-up left her scrambling for spare gear moments before stepping on court—an anecdote she says kept her “loose and laughing” before the upset win. How the match was won • First-serve percentage: 71% • Net points won: 18/23 • Break-point conversions: 3/6 Collins, a former Australian Open finalist, tried to dictate with flat baseline rockets but struggled to penetrate Townsend’s court-coverage. After pocketing the opening set with a late break, Townsend raced to a 5-2 lead in the second before Collins forced a tiebreak. There, the wildcard cracked two forehand return winners to seize a 4-0 cushion and never looked back. What’s next Townsend faces 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova on Saturday. A win would propel the American into the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 for just the second time in her career and could vault her inside the top 60—key for direct entry into 2026’s early-season hard-court swing. Why it matters • Confidence boost ahead of the US Open, where she reached the doubles final last year. • Signals depth in American women’s tennis; Townsend joins Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and Peyton Stearns in the Cincinnati winner’s circle. • Reinforces her dual-threat status: doubles No. 1 and rapidly climbing singles ranking. Keyword roundup for search visibility: Taylor Townsend Cincinnati Open 2025, Townsend vs Collins highlights, Taylor Townsend next match, Liudmila Samsonova vs Taylor Townsend preview, American tennis comeback story, WTA Cincinnati Masters results. Fans can watch Saturday’s clash on Tennis Channel and WTA TV, with first ball scheduled not before 1 p.m. local time.