As the popular saying goes, “Look good, feel good, and play good.” Taylor Townsend completely resonates with that. The No. 2 doubles player has had quite a few feel-good moments this year. After winning the Australian Open doubles title with Katerina Siniakova, beating Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko in the final, the duo replicated the same feat in the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, toppling Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai in the summit clash. However, that’s the doubles. Townsend hasn’t really played ‘good’ in the singles this year. She recently made an early exit from the Indian Wells Masters as well, but guess what? The 27-year-old American has ensured she doesn’t have to come out of the ‘desert’ empty-handed.

During an interview with T&C previously, Townsend spoke about her mindset ahead of the BNP Paribas Open. She said it’s always super fun to come to the Californian desert and participate in what they call the fifth Grand Slam. “It’s a beautiful place—it helps you relax and exhale, it’s just so scenic. But for me, it’s another opportunity for me to go out and compete and work on the things that I’ve been working on. Whether I get the result that I want at that time or not, my goal right now is to just keep laying bricks and continue,” she said.

Townsend started her campaign in the Indian Wells singles with an impressive 6-2,6-1 win over Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in the first qualifier. However, in the second qualifier, she went down to her compatriot, Varvara Lepchenko, by 2-6,4-6. Although her journey in the singles event is already over, Townsend is still alive in the doubles.

She now needs to reset, refocus, and readjust! But before stepping onto the courts to take part in her doubles event alongside Siniakova, the American star was spotted flaunting her precious possession. Townsend shared a glimpse of her stunning diamond earrings on her IG account. She donned a black T-shirt, red trousers, and a pair of black sunglasses to go with it as well, making herself look more elegant. She was also holding a green bag in her hands, as she posed at the tennis court. The caption read, “Found a diamond in the desert💎✨.“

This isn’t the first time in the last few days that we’ve seen Taylor Townsend turning heads with her stunning looks. On the previous Thursday, she stole all the limelight with her glamorous look at the WTA’s rebranding event. The AO doubles champion donned a chic blue Veronica Beard top and skirt. Her stunning outfit was accompanied by Chanel sneakers and a Chanel bag. Later, when asked about her outfit, she said, “You know I got the most drip on tour. Sheneneh on the sneakers, Sheneneh on the bag.”

This was perhaps a nod to the iconic Sheneneh Jenkins in the TV Show, ‘Martin.’ So, despite failing to deliver in the singles event, it seems Townsend is having a wonderful time at the ‘Tennis Paradise’. What does she have to say about her struggles in the singles though, and how does it feel to be number 2 in doubles?

“I’m chasing my partner at this point” – Taylor Townsend speaks about her goals

Just before starting her campaign in the singles event at the BNP Paribas Open, Taylor Townsend shared a short video clip on her IG account, where she could be seen practicing hard in the middle of bad weather conditions in California. “Let me show you guys what I’m practicing in today. Look how hazy it is. And it’s so windy, I can’t see…my eyes feel like they are getting stretched out. This is crazy.” She further added, “If I can play in this, I can play anything,” she said.

However, she failed to overcome the challenge thrown in by the world number 124 (Varvara Lepchenko)! Following her exit from the singles event, Townsend and Siniakova are now all set to play against Giuliana Olmos (MEX) and Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) in the first round of the doubles event. Fans, in the meantime, are curious about the massive contrast in Townsend’s performances in singles and doubles.

Addressing that during her interview with T&C, the American added, “Mentally, it’s been an interesting shift between the success and the highs that I’m experiencing in doubles, but then the lows that I’m experiencing in singles, and being able to balance and manage those things. But that’s sport, and I’m enjoying the ride. It’s not fun… but I’m enjoying the ride.”

Speaking about navigating the gaps between highs and lows, Townsend further remarked that it’s “funny” because success is very “relative” and very “subjective” at the same time.

All Townsend now wants is to keep pushing through. What are her thoughts on securing the number 2 spot in the women’s doubles ranking? Well, “It feels amazing,” she said and why not? It’s no mean feat!

She further went on to shed light on her future goals, saying, “It’s a cool situation to be in, where I’m chasing my partner at this point. When I was setting my goals for this year, I was like, ‘I want to be number one.’ It’s tough when you’re playing with the person who’s number one; they keep getting points, and you keep getting points.”

Townsend clearly wants to close that gap with Siniakova who is the World No. 1 in doubles. Both of them have won two major doubles titles this year so far. How far do you think they can go in Indian Wells?