“It's a very full circle moment for me” - Taylor Townsend after winning Cincinnati Open doubles title alongside Alycia Parks

After clinching the 2023 Cincinnati Open women's doubles title with partner Alycia Parks, Taylor Townsend called it a 'full circle moment' for herself.

Parks and Townsend topped off a fantastic week in Cincinnati by defeating Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the Western & Southern Open final on Saturday, August 19. The American pair came from a set down to defeat the No. 3 seeds 6-7(1), 6-4, [10-6] in a match that lasted one hour and 35 minutes, and finished in the early hours of Sunday.

This is the maiden WTA 1000 title for both Townsend and Parks. For Melichar-Martinez and Perez finish, it's a runner-up finish in Cincinnati for the second season in a row; they lost to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko in the final last year.

Speaking during the trophy ceremony, Townsend said it was a special moment for her as she used to visit the tournament as a fan during her childhood. Townsend hails from Chicago, which is the largest city in the state of Illinois and is fewer than 300 miles away from Cincinnati.

“Thank you to Western and Southern. This is such an amazing event, you know, being from Chicago and this being one of the tournaments that I went to when I was younger. So it's a very full circle moment for me,” she said.

The 27-year-old also thanked the fans for staying late to witness their win, before cheekily stating that they got their money's worth with the all-action Cincinnati final.

“Thank you to all the fans for watching us and supporting us has been a very long day of tennis but hey you got your money's worth,” she added, with a laugh.

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Alycia Parks and Taylor Townsend emerge as upset artists at Cincinnati Open 2023

Taylor Townsend is currently ranked World No. 7 in the doubles.

Alycia Parks and Taylor Townsend teamed up for the first time at the Cincinnati Open and blazed their way through the draw. They caused many an upset en route to the title.

Townsend and Parks began their Western & Southern Open campaign with a straight-sets win against Yang Zhaoxuan and Latisha Chan. The Americans then beat four of the top-five seeded pairs consecutively to clinch the title: fifth seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok in the second round, fourth seeds Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk in the quarterfinals, second seeds Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens in the semifinals, and third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the final.

During this incredible run, they dropped only two sets — against Schuurs and Krawczyk in the quarters and against Melichar-Martinez and Perez in the final.

Townsend has been in good form on the doubles circuit this season. Playing alongside Leylah Fernandez, the American finished as the runner-up at the Miami Open, losing to Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the final.

Townsend and Fernandez also finished as the runners-up at the French Open, losing to Hsieh Su-wei and Wang Xinyu in the championship match.