Taylor Townsend Partners with Alexander Zverev for US Open Mixed Doubles After Ben Shelton Declines

American doubles champion Taylor Townsend will team with German star Alexander Zverev for the US Open mixed doubles tournament, after her original plan to reunite with fellow American Ben Shelton dissolved. Townsend disclosed the partnership shift during a press conference at the Canadian Open, revealing that Zverev directly approached Shelton to confirm his unavailability.

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• The Partnership Change
• Townsend's Doubles Resume

The Partnership Change

Townsend had initially planned to defend her mixed doubles strategy with Shelton, with whom she competed at the prior US Open. That pairing yielded early momentum—they defeated Holger Rune and Amanda Anisimova—but exited in the subsequent round against Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison.

When Zverev approached Townsend after a doubles exhibition event called Gael & Friends, she was hesitant.

"Originally I kind of iced him because I was planning on playing with Ben,"

Townsend explained. Rather than accept rejection, Zverev took the initiative to ask Shelton directly whether he intended to compete at the US Open. Upon learning that Shelton would not participate, Zverev returned to Townsend with the confirmed news, prompting her to accept the partnership.

Townsend's Doubles Resume

The 30-year-old American arrives as a three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and former World No. 1 in the doubles rankings. Her recent successes include winning Wimbledon in 2024, the Australian Open in 2025, and Roland Garros earlier in the year—all alongside Czech player Katerina Siniakova. Despite this dominance, the US Open remains the sole Grand Slam title absent from her doubles collection.

Townsend reached the US Open mixed doubles final in 2024 but fell to the Italian pairing of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori—the same duo that defended their title in the most recent edition. The tournament format, which pairs singles players with specialized doubles competitors, will feature the mixed doubles championship from August 24-26.