Making a fashion statement in a vibrant yellow unitard, American qualifier Taylor Townsend stunned third seed Jessica Pegula in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to record her best by-ranking win of career.
After rising to a career-high doubles ranking of No.6 this week, Townsend is reaching new heights in singles competition on her main-draw debut in Rome with a 6-2 3-6 6-3 upset of compatriot Pegula. Even though it’s Townsend’s only second Top 10 win, her previous being an upset of No.4 Simona Halep at the 2019 US Open, the left-hander has the history of beating Pegula. This is Townsend’s third straight win over Pegula, but their last previous meeting was more than three years ago, when the current world No.3 wasn’t nearly as dominant on the WTA Tour.
Besides making a statement with her game, the world No.168 Townsend attracted attention with her on-court outfit. The mom on tour wore a neon yellow unitard and K-Swiss shoes. Her vibrant green ombre manicure completed the bold look.
After advancing to the third round of a WTA 1000 event for only the second time in her career, Townsend will face China’s Wang Xiyu.
