Taylor Townsend undergoes emergency surgery days after winning US Open doubles title

The tennis star withdrew from the Guadalajara Open after an unexpected medical setback, telling fans, “Still I rise.” Taylor Townsend

Sep 17, 2026 0

Taylor Townsend undergoes emergency surgery days after winning US Open doubles title

2026 US Open – Day 6 — NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 04: Taylor Townsend of the United States celebrates a point against Diana Shnaider during their Women's Singles Third Round match on Day Six of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 04, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)

The tennis star withdrew from the Guadalajara Open after an unexpected medical setback, telling fans, “Still I rise.”

Taylor Townsend has withdrawn from the Guadalajara Open to undergo emergency surgery, just days after winning her first career Grand Slam in women’s doubles at the US Open. The 30-year-old American announced the news on Instagram Wednesday night, revealing that the unexpected situation was not something she anticipated. She later shared a photo of herself in a hospital bed with an IV. The nature of the surgery has not been disclosed.

Townsend addressed fans in an Instagram Story, writing, “Welp.. this s–t definitely wasn’t on my bingo card..” She followed the message with a line about pushing through difficult moments. “Through trails and tribulations..still I rise I’ll update yall soon.” Townsend later posted a photo from her hospital bed, giving fans a glimpse of the unexpected health setback but providing no further medical details.

The tennis star also released a statement to the Guadalajara Open, where she had already won her opening-round match against Germany’s Tatjana Maria. “Hi everybody, on the heels of achieving my first career grand slam at the US Open, I was so excited to play in front of all of you in Guadalajara.” She continued, “Because of emergency surgery, I am forced to withdraw from the GDL Open, and it breaks my heart.”

2026 US Open - Day 13 thegrio.com — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11: Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States celebrate match point, defeating Ashlyn Krueger of the United States and Robin Montgomery of the United States during their Women’s Doubles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) – Credit: Photo Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

As reported by the New York Post, Townsend added that she hoped to return to Guadalajara next year, telling fans, “Viva Mexico!!!”. Townsend’s withdrawal comes less than a week after she and Czech partner Kateřina Siniaková won the US Open women’s doubles final. They defeated Americans Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery. The victory completed a career Grand Slam for Townsend and Siniaková as a team, following their Wimbledon title in 2024, Australian Open championship in 2025 and Roland Garros victory in 2026.

Townsend also reached the fourth round of the US Open singles tournament before losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The US Open was her third career appearance in the tournament’s fourth round. Her withdrawal from Guadalajara gave top seed Marta Kostyuk a walkover into the quarterfinals. Reuters described Townsend’s withdrawal as being due to illness, while Townsend herself publicly cited emergency surgery without specifying the underlying condition.