Editor’s note: This piece belongs to the Winning Style series, examining how top tennis pros stay at the sport’s summit.
Although they’d teamed up since spring 2024, it wasn’t until a fall 2025 practice in Riyadh for the WTA Finals that Townsend truly recognized her partner.
By then, Chicago’s Townsend and Czech star Siniaková had already captured two Grand Slam doubles crowns and reached the 2025 U.S. Open final.
Pressure can mask brilliance, but in a relaxed setting Townsend admired Siniaková’s near‑artistic movement: razor‑sharp footwork, crisp strikes, and seamless recovery.
“How did she nail that drill?” Townsend asked reporters on Wednesday, pausing for effect.
“Now I get why she’s the world’s best,” she added.
Singles stars usually dominate headlines, leaving Siniaková and Townsend’s many milestones largely under the radar.
At Friday’s U.S. Open final, the 30‑year‑old pair dispatched wild‑cards Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger 5‑7, 6‑0, 6‑2 to claim the women’s doubles title.
The win gave Townsend a career Grand Slam, a feat achieved by only 18 women since the Open Era began in 1968.
Siniaková, the world’s top doubles player, reached an even rarer pinnacle.
She became the ninth woman to complete a career Grand Slam twice and the first ever to do it with different partners, her first coming with compatriot Barbora Krejčíková, a two‑time singles Grand Slam champion.
The U.S. Open victory marked Siniaková’s 12th Grand Slam doubles crown and 39th women’s doubles title overall. Their partnership entered Friday’s match at 80‑16; it now stands at 81‑16, with a perfect 7‑0 record in 2026 finals.
“Huge thanks, Taylor. You fought hard, and I’m proud we did it together. The nerves were real… Thank you for standing by me,” Siniaková said during the trophy interview.
Only eight women have amassed at least 12 Open‑Era Grand Slam doubles titles, placing Siniaková in elite company.
Martina Navratilova leads that group with 31 titles, but Siniaková is close; should she finish the season as world No. 1 again, she’ll surpass Navratilova for most year‑end No. 1 finishes in WTA history. For my money, Siniaková’s chase of Navratilova’s record could rewrite doubles history.
Unlike many at the top of the doubles rankings, Siniaková isn’t a pure doubles specialist; she’s been inside the top‑75 in singles since 2014 and cracked the top‑50 from 2023 onward.
Her highest singles ranking, No. 27 in 2024, still influences her tournament and training choices.
Her best Grand Slam singles showing came at the 2019 French Open, where she reached the fourth round.
With a partner beside her, her game flourishes. Since her first Grand Slam win at the 2018 French Open with Krejčíková, her titles have begun to blur together.
Many athletes thrive on a fear of loss; Siniaková feeds on victory, craving the rush again after each triumph.
“Growing up I wanted to be the best, a mindset my dad gave me. You have to work harder, harder, harder. So after winning one, I just wanted more,” she explained.
“What drives me most is the feeling of achievement, those memories. I keep wanting that again,” she added.
Siniaková’s instinct for partners showed when she poached left‑hander Townsend in spring 2024 after Storm Sanders suffered an Achilles tear; Townsend had been slated to play with Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, but a direct DM from Siniaková sealed the deal.
Townsend attributes their seven titles to an off‑court bond; they’ve known each other since age 13 but only truly connected two years ago.
Since then she’s visited Siniaková’s Czech family, while Siniaková stayed at Townsend’s Atlanta home; they share meals and cheer each other’s singles matches, a friendship many peers lack.
Such camaraderie is rare in tennis, yet for Townsend, a partner who gets her off the court frees her on it.
“It’s been a learning curve for both of us, with big cultural gaps, but it’s amazing to see we align on values and life outlooks. That realization let me open up,” Townsend said.
Townsend now picks up a few Czech words—she knows “ice cream” and even “bagel” after this week’s straight‑set sweep. Her five‑year‑old son constantly asks about Siniaková.
“He told me, ‘Mom, you can stop now… you’ve played enough tennis. You could be a firefighter,’” Townsend recalled.
She laughed, knowing she isn’t quitting; on Friday she and her friend stepped onto the court to add another chapter.