"This means a lot personally": Chicago-native Taylor Townsend gets emotional about her & partner Evan King's French Open fairytale final run

Taylor Townsend reminisced about her Chicago roots after her and partner Evan King's fairytale run in the mixed doubles category of the 2025 French Open. The American duo's run was ended in the final by the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.

Townsend and King teamed up to form an all-Chicago pairing at the French Open and were seeded fourth. They kicked off their campaign by defeating home favorites Jessika Ponchet and Gregoire Jacq, following which they got the better of another pair of home favorites, Geoffrey Blancaneaux and Estelle Cascino. The American duo ousted Laura Siegmund and Édouard Roger-Vasselin in the quarterfinals.

In a thrilling semifinal, Townsend and King defeated Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6(2), 12-10 to set up a clash with third seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Though the American duo gave it their all in their bid to win the title, the Italian duo's double mastery proved to be too much for them, as Errani and Vavassori won 6-4, 6-2.

However, Taylor Townsend was proud of the fight put up by her and Evan King. She sent an inspiring message reminiscing about how far the American duo had made it in their lives, highlighting their journey from South Chicago to Roland Garros.

"This means a lot to me personally because Evan and I grew up on the south side of Chicago. We sent Touhy Park all the way to Roland Garros. So I hope that us standing here is an inspiration for people to know that you can do it and it's possible no matter where you come from, so we put on for our city. Thank you guys, we'll see you soon."

Townsend not only competed in the mixed doubles event of the French Open but also in singles and women's doubles.

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A look into how Taylor Townsend fared at the 2025 French Open

The mixed doubles finalists at the 2025 French Open - Source: Getty

Taylor Townsend was seeded sixth in the qualifying draw of the French Open. She clinched some hard-fought wins over Sara Saito 7-6(1), 7-6(8), and Hanna Chang 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. However, she fell to 26th seed Daria Saville in the third round 6-2, 2-6, 4-6. Though she eventually found a way to enter the main draw as a Lucky Loser, the American was ousted in the opening round by Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-2.

In women's doubles, Taylor Townsend paired up with her partner Katerina Siniakova as the top seeds. They dealt with the pairs of Olivia Gadecki and Zhang Shuai, and Jodie Anna Burrage and Sonay Kartal. They came back from a set down to eliminate the 14th seeds, Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani, but were stunned in the quarterfinals by Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic.