Taylor Townsend suffered a heartbreaking fourth-round loss at the US Open after Barbora Krejcikova saved eight match points to win 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. The American, who had been at the centre of a racism controversy earlier in the tournament, was in tears as she left the court.
Townsend dominated the opening set and looked set to win the second, but Krejcikova saved her first match point in the 10th game. In the tie-break, the Czech saved seven more match points, recovering from 3-6 to take her third set point.
Krejcikova then broke early in the deciding set and held on to win. “It just stings, because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.”
Krejcikova will face fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals. Pegula breezed past Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 and has not dropped a set at Flushing Meadows this year.
