“My 2024 @usopen was lit” – American tennis star, Taylor Townsend is proud of her performance at the last major tournament in the 2024 season. Although she was defeated in the second round of the singles event by Paula Badosa, Townsend came back strongly in the doubles and mixed doubles event. She reached the SF of the women’s doubles event with Katerina Siniakova and made it to the mixed doubles finals with her compatriot Donald Young. Overall, it was quite a decent outing at the home Slam. Even Ben Shelton gave a nod to this!

Shelton and Townsend have a close bond between them. Recently, the 28-year-old American tennis star put up a post on her Instagram account that portrayed a few moments from her 2024 US Open campaign. She captioned that post with, “My 2024 @usopen was lit .. I hope you guys enjoyed as much as I did.” Ben Shelton was among the first to comment on this post. He wrote, “U so cold dawg.“

During the US Open, we saw Taylor Townsend a bit more expressive this time. For example, when she won her QF match at the mixed doubles event, we saw her putting up a stern message to some hecklers in the crowd. She said, “Shout out to the haters, I don’t hear you anymore,” during her on-court interview. Even during her runner-up speech at the same event, she was spotted expressing her pride in being the bearer of expectations of all American tennis fans for at least a few days.

Taylor Townsend said, “This isn’t the trophy we wanted, but I’m the only black woman left in the tournament, & there are two black men.” She further added, “I hope that Donald & I standing here today, Frances in SFs, Coco [as] the defending champion, just shows people that look like us that it’s possible.” Frances Tiafoe reached the finals this year, but Coco Gauff was eliminated in the R16 by her compatriot Emma Navarro.

Shelton was knocked out of the tournament by the finalist, Tiafoe, in the R3. So, it was more of a mix of happiness and disappointment in this campaign. Talking about happiness, fans loved watching Shelton and Townsend in action. Both of these tennis stars are often seen showcasing their close bonding with each other through their funny on-court moments or by showing support for each other.

“I love that” – Taylor Townsend is a big fan of Ben Shelton’s on-court celebrations

Last year at the US Open, Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton reached the SF at the mixed doubles event. During that time, we saw them getting engaged in several funny moments during their matches. Even during one instance, the 21-year-old American tennis star was heard saying, “This is the most fun we’ve had on the tennis court in a while.” So, that’s how it started and both of them love each other’s company.

In March this year during the Miami Open, Taylor Townsend revealed her fondness for Ben Shelton’s celebration. She highlighted his famous ‘hang up the phone’ celebration and went on to add, “You know, me and Ben had some really awesome ones when we were playing with each other. I mean, his little phone thing is super swaggy. I love that.” Then a month later, Shelton was spotted enjoying the adorable company of Taylor Townsend’s son Adyn Aubrey during the BJP Cup. He even gave a fist bump to the young kid.

Then during the Canadian Open, Townsend was spotted yet again copying Ben Shelton’s ‘dial-in’ celebration. So, there are quite a few of those heartwarming moments between the two close friends. Shelton even congratulated Taylor Townsend when she won her first major title at the doubles event of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships He wrote, “Yea Tay! @tay_taytownsend,” on Instagram. Do you want to see this pair team up in another mixed doubles event in the near future? Share your thoughts in the comment box.