Pop icon Taylor Swift’s song The Archer found its real-life embodiment on Tuesday as World No.1 doubles player Taylor Townsend brought out a captivating performance on the court. The 2025 Australian Open women’s doubles champion was in full form at the Louis Armstrong Stadium as she helped compatriot and her US Open mixed doubles partner Ben Shelton to secure a sensational victory. Although they reunited after two years, since making the semis in New York, it felt like they never left the court. And to make the occasion feel special, Townsend came prepared with a captivating gesture.

Shelton and Townsend faced Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune’s pair in the R16 on Tuesday. While the No.1 doubles pro and the recently crowned Canadian Open star took the first set easily, Rune and Anisimova pushed them to a tie-break in the second set.

The scores were leveled at 4-4 with Townsend/Shelton leading the tie-break 6-2. Shelton made the serve, which was returned well by Rune. However, Townsend tackled it with finesse as she hit a nice volley over the net to wrap the battle. Result? She and Shelton won with a final score line of 4-1, 5-4(2). The moment Townsend hit the winning shot, she made a captivating gesture, depicting a bow and arrow just like an archer. It echoed the lyrics of Swift’s hit song perfectly: “I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey”

But this isn’t the first time Townsend has come up with a unique celebration. At the 2023 US Open, Taylor Townsend picked up on Shelton’s on-the-phone gesture. Yet, that wasn’t the only gesture the duo became popular for during their semifinal run at the event.

There was the Bankhead Bounce dance maneuver and even the “Night Night” sleeping gesture. The latter became iconic after NBA star Stephen Curry made it a routine during Golden State Warriors’ 2022 title-winning campaign. Sadly, however, it couldn’t be more of the same this year.

Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton miss out on replicating 2023 US Open run

Following their win in the opening battle, expectations grew for the duo to reach the business end of the mixed doubles event. Sadly, the hopes crashed. In the quarterfinal stage, Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend met Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison in an all-American showdown.

And the result? Collins and Christian stunned Townsend and Shelton in straight sets. With a final score line of 4-1, 5-4(2), Collins and Christian confirmed their semifinal spot. It’s kind of a funny story, given how the two initially came together as a team, replacing Jannik Sinner and Katerina Siniakova at the eleventh hour.

The decision came after he was forced to retire during the recent Cincinnati Open summit clash against Carlos Alcaraz. Coming back to Collins and Christian’s journey, they will now play 2024’s mixed doubles US Open champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Which team, according to you, will make it to the final this week? Let us know in the comments below.