Taylor Townsend fails to convert 8 match points, falls to Barbora Krejcikova at the US Open

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NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Townsend couldn't convert eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker and was eliminated from the U.S. Open on Sunday with a 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3 loss to Barbora Krejcikova.

With fans chanting “Let's go Taylor! Let's go Taylor!” for a player who became a fan favorite during the tournament after her confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko following her second-round victory, Townsend was repeatedly a point away from what would have been her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

But Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, erased seven match points in the tiebreaker, broke Townsend's serve twice in the third set and advanced to face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula on Tuesday.

“It just stings, because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.”

Townsend hugged Krejcikova at the net after the match, then sat in her sideline chair and began crying before leaving the court to a standing ovation as she dabbed her eyes with a towel.

“To be honest, I’m totally enjoying this crowd. Even though it’s not for me, it’s for the Americans, it’s fine,” Krejcikova said in her interview on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court after the match.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you again in my next match — I think against another American.”

In her first 31st Grand Slam appearance, Townsend had never been closer to reaching the last eight. She lost to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu in 2019 in her only other fourth-round appearance.

Townsend remains in the women’s doubles tournament as the No. 1-seeded team with Katerina Siniakova — who won a career Grand Slam in doubles with Krejcikova during their partnership.

Krejcikova won the 2021 French Open and 2024 Wimbledon titles, but missed nearly five months to begin this season with a back injury and has worked hard to reach her second quarterfinal in New York. She rallied late to knock off 10th-seeded American Emma Navarro in 2 1/2 hours in the third round, then went 3 hours, 4 minutes Sunday — 98 minutes alone for the second set.

Townsend was first in position to win that when had a break point on Krejcikova's serve at 5-4 in the third, 1 1/2 hours into the match. Krejcikova won that game and the next one to go up 6-5 before Townsend broke to force the marathon tiebreaker.

Krejcikova hit a backhand into the corner that landed on the line to erase the fifth match point, and Townsend never had a better chance.

It was after Townsend's victory over Ostapenko that the Latvian told her she had “no class” and “no education” in an argument at the net. Ostapenko later apologized in a social media post.

Townsend then upset No. 5 Mirra Andreeva in the third round and took the first set Sunday in just 28 minutes, looking on the verge of her major breakthrough that came agonizingly close.

“I’m glad that I was able to win (the fans) over, and for people to be able to find out who I am, and even more so play some of my best tennis and put on a great show and just give the fans what they deserve, which is some great tennis,” Townsend said. “I gave everything that I could.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis