Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend advanced to the US Open women’s doubles semifinals on September 8, 2026, defeating Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets. The top-seeded pair stands just two wins away from capturing a career Grand Slam.
Kateřina Siniaková continues her dominant run at Flushing Meadows, moving into the semifinals of the US Open alongside American partner Taylor Townsend. The top-seeded duo dispatched Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and America’s Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6:4, 6:2 in a brisk quarterfinal clash, maintaining a flawless record without dropping a single set throughout the tournament.
Overcoming Early Tensions Against Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez
The quarterfinal encounter tested the top seeds immediately. Siniaková faced an early hurdle in the opening game on her serve, standing as the only player among the four to confront a break point. The partnership weathered the pressure when Townsend smashed a ball into Melichar-Martinez to level at 2:2. Another service scare arrived later in the set as Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez carved out two more break chances. Siniaková erased the first with an unreturned first serve, while Townsend cleaned up the second with a sharp net volley to square the score at 4:4.
That resilience sparked a late-set surge. The cross-border pair finally broke Spain’s Bucsa on their first conversion opportunity of the match, allowing Townsend to serve out the opening set with a clean game. The USTA confirmed the straight-sets win on social media shortly after the match concluded.
The second set followed a similarly commanding script. The top seeds grabbed an early break that Townsend quickly consolidated after Siniaková finished a crushing volley to push the lead to 2:0. Melichar-Martinez surrendered her serve next, pressured by a missed overhead from Bucsa that gifted the eventual winners a 40:0 cushion. Siniaková served out the match with the aid of two direct service points, while Townsend finished the final two points at the net.
Navigating Past Storm Hunter and Desirae Krawczyk
The road to the semifinals required weathering severe early storms earlier in the tournament. In their previous test, Siniaková and Townsend overcame the Australian-American tandem of Storm Hunter and Desirae Krawczyk 7:6, 6:4 in a battle lasting one hour and 49 minutes. Dropping their opening service game left them trailing 0:3 in the first set before they broke back at 3:5 to force a tiebreak.
The tiebreak pushed the top seeds to the brink. Trailing 3:6 and facing three set points, they rattled off five consecutive points to snatch the frame 8:6. They carried that momentum into the second set, claiming an early break for a 4:2 lead before closing out the contest on their second match point against Hunter’s serve.
Chasing a Career Grand Slam in New York
For the 30-year-old Siniaková, the victory keeps alive her pursuit of a twelfth Grand Slam title in women’s doubles and a thirteenth overall major crown. A victory in New York would secure a shared career Grand Slam alongside Townsend, adding the US Open trophy to their victories at Roland Garros this year, the Australian Open last year, and Wimbledon two years prior.
Siniaková is already familiar with completing the set, having previously achieved a career Grand Slam alongside compatriot Barbora Krejčíková. With only two victories remaining at Flushing Meadows, the pairing stands on the threshold of tennis history.
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