Townsend opens D.C. Day 2 with win over fellow mom Maria

In a first-round showdown between two of the moms on tour, Taylor Townsend kicked off Tuesday's play at the Mubadala Citi DC Open with a straight-sets win over Tatjana Maria.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Taylor Townsend was born in Chicago, but spent several of her formative years in the nation’s capital learning the game of tennis.

Lately, she’s been better known for her doubles prowess -- she’s No. 2 in the PIF WTA Doubles Rankings, right behind her regular partner Katerina Siniakova. Still, her singles game isn’t too shabby either.

Washington, D.C.: Draws | Scores | Order of Play

Townsend defeated Tatjana Maria 6-4, 7-5 on Monday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open to advance to the second round. Townsend was trailing 4-0 in the second set and came back to win six of the last seven games.

Next up for Townsend: The winner of the later match between No. 6 seed Sofia Kenin and local favorite Hailey Baptiste.

In a clash between mothers on tour (Townsend gave birth to son Adyn in 2021), the American, currently ranked No. 97 in singles, was terrific under pressure, saving eight of 10 break points. She broke Maria’s serve four times.

Maria, the 37-year-old mother of Charlotte and Cecilia, had an astonishing run last month on the grass at Queen’s. She took down four Top 15 players -- Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova -- to take the WTA 500 title.

Also on Tuesday, qualifier Caroline Dolehide was a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 winner over two-time 2025 WTA titlist McCartney Kessler in a match that ran more than two and a half hours. Dolehide will play No. 4 seed Clara Tauson in a second-round match.

More to come...

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