The eighth-seeded team of American Taylor Townsend and Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova go 2-0 in round-robin play at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia on Monday.
Townsend and Siniakova are a new team in 2024 who captured the Wimbledon title and were semifinalists at the US Open. Siniakova is a WTA Finals veteran and former WTA Finals doubles champion in 2021 with compatriot Barbora Krejcikova with whom she won seven Grand Slams and a 2020 Olympic gold medal. Siniakova also won the 2024 French Open with American Coco Gauff.
Townsend is a WTA Finals rookie
Though Taylor Townsend has never been to the WTA Finals, she has proven to be an accomplished doubles player with various partners throughout her career. Her original plan was to partner with Beatriz Haddad-Mia this year in doubles before Siniakova called her.
Townsend and Siniakova came from behind in the first round of the WTA Finals against the top-seeded team of Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, the reigning US Open champions. After falling behind 3-6 in the first set, they prevailed with a final score of 3-6, 6-3, and 11-9.
There were no issues in their second match against the 2023 WTA Finals runner-up team Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez. Townsend and Siniakova won 6-2, 6-2.
Now 2-0 in the Green Group 😁#WTAFinalsRiyadh | @TaylorTownsend | @K_Siniakova pic.twitter.com/a044ZEJNsa
— wta (@WTA) November 4, 2024
Next up for the Townsend and Siniakova team is a Wednesday match against third-seeded team Elise Mertens and Su-wei Hsieh, the 2024 Australian Open doubles champions.
WTA Doubles field is loaded with repeat champions with different partners
Despite Townsend’s newness to the WTA Finals doubles scene, many are veterans and champions with other partners. In addition to Siniakova, Elise Mertens is the 2022 champion with Veronika Kudermetova (paired with partner Chan Hao-ching and the seventh-seeded team this year). Su-wei Hsieh won the 2013 WTA Finals title with Peng Shuai.
Jasmine Paolini is doing “double” duty
Jasmine Paolini was victorious in her opening singles and doubles matches at the WTA Finals. Paolini defeated Elena Rybakina in straight sets, and with partner Sara Errani with whom she won the Olympic gold medal in Paris, came from behind against the American team of Desirae Krawczyk and Caroline Dolehide on Sunday. After getting into a 1-6 hole, the Italian team rallied to win 1-6, 6-1, and 10-4.
Paolini is trying to accomplish a feat that Martina Navratilova did five times in her career, winning both the singles and doubles WTA Finals title in the same year. Martina Hingis was the last player to do it in 2000.
