Thirteen years after bossing the junior circuit as World No.1, Taylor Townsend has officially doubled down on greatness. On Friday, the American powerhouse became the World No. 1 in doubles after advancing to the final at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. Teaming up with Zhang Shuai, Townsend secured the milestone when their semifinal opponents, Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina, retired mid-match. It’s a proud moment for American tennis!

She will replace her usual partner, Katerina Siniakova, at the top. Siniakova is currently spending her 161st career week as No. 1 and her 46th straight since the end of the US Open last year. The WTA doubles rankings are calculated based on a player’s best 12 results over the past 12 months. And so, nine of both Townsend and Siniakova’s top 12 results have come from their time playing together. Those include two titles as a pair. But the difference lies in the other three results.

While Siniakova’s remaining results contribute 835 ranking points, Townsend will now total either 945 or 1,120 points, depending on the outcome of Sunday’s final in Washington. That edge has pushed her past her close friend and longtime partner. But this historic moment also comes with another remarkable first. Townsend is now the first mother ever to become World No. 1 in WTA doubles. The 29-year-old returned to the tour in April 2022, just over a year after giving birth to her son, Adyn Aubrey, in March 2021. Since then, her comeback has gained steady momentum, culminating in a career-defining breakthrough this week. “It feels like a dream and is without a doubt one of the highlights of my career,” Townsend told the WTA after her accomplishment. “I loved watching doubles, especially Martina Navratilova play, and it’s an incredible honor to join the list of amazing players to have earned the No.1 ranking.”

Townsend also celebrated the news with an emotional Instagram post: “Taylor Townsend, #1 in the WORLD 🌍 🥹😱 First mom to ever be a world #1 ✅ This is a literal dream come true! Thank you Adyn for giving me a new purpose! ❤️☀️ Thank you @elevatewithjohn for all that we have done to make my dreams a reality ✨🧘🏾.”

That post quickly filled up with congratulatory messages from her fellow American players. Among the first to respond was Ben Shelton, a longtime friend who will also partner with her in the new mixed doubles format at the US Open. He commented, “One of them ones,” and followed it up by proudly sharing WTA’s post announcing her World No. 1 status on his Instagram Story.

Jessica Pegula, a former World No. 1 in doubles herself, also chimed in with a simple but powerful emoji: “☝🏻.” Coco Gauff, another former doubles World No. 1 from 2022, celebrated in her own way. She tagged Townsend with “TT1” and a crown emoji in her Instagram story, continuing a long-running trend of publicly supporting Townsend throughout her journey.

Madison Keys also joined in. She posted about Townsend’s accomplishment with a red heart emoji and tagged her friend in the post. The two share a close bond, and Townsend had even attended Keys’ wedding back in November 2024. This is a deeply meaningful moment for Townsend, who has spoken openly about the balance between motherhood and life on the tour. Her son Adyn Aubrey is not just part of her support system; he’s at the heart of her motivation.

Interesting Facts:
1. Taylor Townsend is the 50th player to climb up to No. 1 in WTA doubles rankings history, ever since they began on September 10th, 1984.
2. She is the 13th American player to achieve it.
3. Townsend is also the fifth left-handed player to do it (after Navratilova, Lucie Safarova, Ekaterina Makarova, and Storm Hunter).

When Taylor Townsend opened up about how she gains motivation from her son

Since returning, Taylor Townsend has lifted two Grand Slam doubles titles, first at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and then at the 2025 Australian Open. Along the way, she also added several WTA 1000 wins to her resume. And now, she’s climbed to the top of the rankings.

“Being a mother to AJ motivates me on different levels,” Townsend shared in February. “Being a mom and just honestly, the strength and resilience that I have that I draw from knowing that the experience that I’m having and that I’m living is not normal. And it’s something that takes so much strength. It takes so much strength to be able to leave your child for weeks and weeks and weeks at a time. So I draw from that. Being a mother to Adyn also has given me a large amount of accountability.”

“Me looking at my son’s eyes and telling him, Hey, I’m leaving, but I’m going to come back with a trophy, I mean that sh-t. I mean that with everything in me because my word is everything to me, and that’s what I teach him. Say what you mean, mean what you say. And so I keep those words, and I keep the way that he looks at me, and I see that, and it drives me, and it motivates me in a different way that I had never had in my entire life. It is a constant motivator.”

Townsend’s story continues this weekend. She and Zhang will take on Americans Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin in the final on Sunday. Whether she wins or not, the World No. 1 crown is already hers. And so is a place in tennis history. What do you think?