“This was lit” – Taylor Townsend reacts after ending Venus Williams & Hailey Baptiste’s doubles run at Citi DC Open

Second-seeded Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai faced off against Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste in the women’s doubles quarterfinals of the 2025 Citi DC Open.

After splitting the first two sets 6-4, 3-6, the match came down to a super tiebreak. Townsend and Zhang struck early, securing the first two breaks to surge ahead 4-0 in the tiebreak. The duo held tight to clinch it 10-6, advancing to the semis.

Tennis Channel uploaded the final match point from the game, which ended 45-year-old Williams’ run, at least in the doubles event. The post was captioned:

“What a battle. 👏 Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai defeat Williams/Baptiste in a match tiebreak to reach the semis in DC! Venus is still playing singles—stream her third-round match Thursday.”

Trending

Townsend reshared Tennis Channel's post on her Instagram. She accompanied it with a three-word reaction:

“This was lit ❤️”

Previously, the doubles pairing of Shuai and Townsend defeated the partnership of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Cristina Bucsa. Now the American-Chinese pair is one step away from reaching the finals of the DC Open.

Taylor Townsend's singles surge in Washington

American tennis star Taylor Townsend is also playing in the singles event of the tournament in Washington. After the qualifiers, Townsend opened her DC campaign with a gritty 6-4, 7-5 victory over Tatjana Maria.

She stormed back from 0-4 in the second set, winning six of the final seven games and saving eight of 10 break points. In the next round, she'll face No. 6 seed Sofia Kenin.

Townsend will also feature in the mixed doubles event at the 2025 US Open alongside young sensation and fellow American Ben Shelton. A lot have raised questions about the standalone early event with $1 million prize money. However, Townsend shut down those critics.

“I think most people are afraid of what they don’t understand, or they’re afraid of change, because it’s something we don’t understand because it’s never been done in the history of the sport,” Townsend said.

Shelton and Townsend paired up for the event at the 2023 US Open as well. That season, they reached the semifinals.

“She's the best mixed doubles player in the world, hands down,” Shelton said of Townsend. “So if I was going to play, I wasn't going to play at all unless I could play with her.”

It remains to be seen how the two will fare in the tournament in New York.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Krutik Jain

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

Know More