For tennis players, there’s always something tricky about playing a lefty. Whether it’s the slice serve out wide in the ad court or the heavy topspin forehand, squaring off against a talented left-handed opponent can simply be a nightmare on the wrong day. But what about two lefties?
This sums up the doubles storm caused by the popular left-handed WTA doubles duo of Taylor Townsend and Leylah Fernandez. Since teaming up for the first time at Indian Wells in March, “Tay-Lah” has bursted into the doubles scene and quickly become one of the top teams to beat.
“We’re both lefties, so that definitely plays into our advantage,” Townsend said during a post-match interview on the Doubles Only Podcast at the Credit One Charleston Open. “You don’t see two lefties on a doubles court very often, and it can be difficult to play against because you can’t really exploit a certain side of the court. We both love our forehands and use them as our biggest weapons.”
2023 Roland Garros Finalists
Fernandez and Townsend’s biggest doubles result to date came on the red clay last weekend at Roland Garros. As the No. 10 seeds, the North American pairing stormed through the draw on their way to the finals before falling short to veteran Hsieh Su-Wei and 21-year-old Xinyu Wang 1-6, 7-6, 6-1.
After leading 6-1, 6-5, the North American team let a few points slip from their racquet and the momentum of the match completely shifted. Following the championship loss, TV cameras zoomed in on Townsend comforting and encouraging a distraught Fernandez on the bench. Tennis fans and media praised Townsend’s team loyalty and support on social media.
Regardless of the outcome, Fernandez and Townsend have much to be proud of during their two-week run in Paris.
On the court, they dazzled crowds with their bold, bright pink dresses and flashy game styles while notching impressive victories over top teams that included No. 8 Gaby Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani, No. 14 Latisha/Hao-Ching Chan, and No. 2 Coco Gauff/Jessica Pegula.
Off the court, they repped sunglasses to their press conferences and carried a unique aura of champion status like they had a target on their back.
“This is what we’ve been building toward over the last few months,” added Townsend in their semi-final post-match press conference. “Now we understand each other so well and are starting to play such great consistent tennis. We lost to Jess and Coco in the finals against Miami, and then we took what we learned in that match and applied it to this one. I’m proud of how we stayed focused and committed on our side of the net in our semi-final win.”
Sunshine Double and Clay Season Success
While their run to the Roland Garros finals might have been a surprise to casual tennis fans, those who have been following their doubles trajectory this spring knew this result in Paris was no fluke.
Leading up to Roland Garros, Fernandez and Townsend raised eyebrows with a runner-up performance at the Miami Open and a semi-finals performance at the Madrid Open, both highly regarded WTA Masters 1000 events with stacked doubles fields.
These runs included sizable victories over top 10 opponents like Lyudmyla Kichenok/Jelena Ostapenko and multi-grand slam champions including Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic and Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova.
With their Roland Garros runner-up trophy in the rear view mirror, Fernandez and Townsend are now 14-5 (74%) on the year together. Three of their five losses have been decided by just a few points in third-set match tiebreakers.
“After every match, we talk a lot about what we did well and how we felt in big moments on court,” said Fernandez. “When we lost a close match to the Czechs [Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova] at Indian Wells, we were able to talk about things I need to work on and what we need to do better as a team. For me, a good doubles partnership is all about communication. We’re not afraid to tell each other the truth.”
Doubles Career Comparisons: Townsend vs. Fernandez
In every doubles partnership, it’s common for each player to take on the unofficial roles of captain and co-pilot. When looking at Tay-Lah’s partnership, it’s pretty clear who wears which hat.
Taylor Townsend: Team Captain
Townsend, a 27-year-old who has been on tour for over a decade, is the veteran of the team and no stranger to doubles success. Anyone who has watched her play throughout her career shouldn’t be surprised based on her unique game style.
With a vintage serve-and-volley game style and strong attacking skills at the net, Townsend is a force to be reckoned with on the doubles court no matter who she is playing with or against.
In 2022, she advanced to the doubles semi-finals or better at two of the four majors. Townsend and fellow American Madison Keys finished as semi-finalists at Roland Garros, where they fell to Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in an All-American semi-final matchup.
Next, she partnered with Caty McNally at the 2022 U.S. Open in a cinderella-style performance that ended with a run to the championship match. In the finals, they lost to the dominant Czech No. 1 team of Krejcikova/Siniakova after leading up a set and a break.
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At the beginning of 2023, Townsend captured back-to-back doubles titles (Adelaide 1 and Adelaide 2) in Australia to start the year with an 8-0 doubles record alongside partners Asia Muhammad and Luisa Stefani.
Last month, she cracked the top 10 for the first time, and now sits at a career-high doubles ranking of No. 5 following the Roland Garros.
Leylah Fernandez: Team Co-Pilot
Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open singles finalist who is only 20 years old, is the more accomplished singles player of the two already in her young career. But she is newer to the doubles limelight.
Although still looking to win her maiden WTA doubles title, Fernandez is now at a career-high doubles ranking of No. 21. As the less experienced doubles player, Fernandez seems to enjoy playing co-pilot while improving her doubles game under Townsend’s wing.
“I’ve learned so much from playing doubles with Taylor these last few months,” said Fernandez. “The most important thing she has taught me is to never doubt myself on the doubles court, especially when I’m at the net. When Taylor crosses the net, she always goes for it 100% even if she misses the volley. That’s what I admire about Taylor – she goes for her shots and takes every opportunity that comes her way.”
Team Chemistry: Key to a Winning Doubles Partnership
A doubles partnership can come to fruition in many forms. In a sport where doubles plays second fiddle to singles, tennis players have a varying spectrum of motivations for deciding to take the doubles court.
Some doubles specialists, who depend on doubles for their sole income, view it as a business relationship and want to find the partner who best complements their game style, whether or not they have a close relationship off the court. Other players simply want to have fun, take a mental break from singles, or view doubles as practice for singles. Therefore, it’s common to see good friends who enjoy spending time together off the court partnering up in doubles.
For Fernandez and Townsend, establishing a relationship with a doubles partner off the court is just as important as the X’s and O’s to create a successful doubles team on the court. But spending time together away from tennis is also new territory for both of them.
“I’ve always had the most success with the people who I get along with off the court,” said Townsend. “Leylah and I have spent a lot of time with each other the past few months. It’s really cool because before we got a chance to play together, I honestly had never even talked to her. We’re having a great time being put in these tough scenarios on court and figuring out a way that we can work together to get through it.”
TayLah: The Next Big Thing in Pro Doubles?
Over the last few months, Fernandez and Townsend have become one of the most talked about doubles teams on tour. And for good reason.
Both players have built large fan bases who love to see the two share the court together, dubbing them the team nickname “TayLah” on social media. In doubles, it’s always a good sign when a team develops a nickname, whether they announce it on their own or get anointed one by their fans.
Given the high turnover frequency among doubles partnerships, having a fan-favorite doubles team like “TayLah” makes doubles a more compelling watch for tennis fans when they have a consistent team to root for.
Apart from their flashy game styles and bubbly personalities, Fernandez and Townsend also have the ability to appeal to a broader, more diverse audience. Townsend is a Black American and Fernandez is a Canadian-born citizen whose father is from Ecuador and mother is a Filipino Canadian.
Historically, tennis has been a sport synonymous with a white, country club reputation that many are determined to change. Let’s face it: tennis needs more stars like Townsend and Fernandez if we want to reverse the country club stereotype.
In a doubles era starved for star power since Bob and Mike Bryan retired in 2020, could “TayLah” be poised to be the next big thing in professional doubles?
“Singles is both of our main priorities, but our goal is to qualify as a team together for the 2023 WTA Finals,” said Townsend. “The great part about our partnership is that our singles schedules align with doubles. Singles is still top priority, but doubles is the icing on the cake. We’re committed to playing together for the rest of the season.”
With their big lefty forehand weapons, flashy game styles, bright pink outfits and stylish sunglasses, Fernandez and Townsend might not have walked away with the winner’s trophy this year in Paris. But they won even more fans along the way and brought attention to a doubles game ripe for star power and exposure.
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