CHICAGO — Englewood native Taylor Townsend enjoyed a mayoral sendoff before leaving for tennis' biggest tournament Thursday.
Townsend ran with Mayor Rahm Emanuel along the lakefront Thursday morning before departing for England, where Wimbledon begins Monday.
Post run selfie with re Mayor of Chi-town @RahmEmanuel ! #ilovemycity pic.twitter.com/YiSJBzCa6L
— Taylor Townsend (@Taylor_Townsen) June 19, 2014Townsend received a wild card for Wimbledon. Her first-round opponent will be determined during Friday's draw. When Townsend discovered she'd be going to Wimbledon, she sent a tweet that included "I just got the best news of my life!!!"
Townsend lost to Belinda Bencic in the Wimbledon girls' singles final last year.
Ahhhhh I just got the best news of my life!!! Thank you @Wimbledon and The All England Club! #adreamcometrue
— Taylor Townsend (@Taylor_Townsen) June 13, 2014Townsend's magical run in the French Open came to an end with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro in the third round. She became the youngest U.S. player to advance to the French Open's third round since 2003.
Townsend, 18, upset Alize Cornet, the world's 21st-ranked player and France's top seed at Roland Garros, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the French Open's second-round match. The victory helped Townsend improve her singles ranking from 205th to 148th in the world.
Townsend is a graduate of Lenart Regional Gifted Center in Chatham and a product of XS Tennis in Kenwood.
She has pocketed more than $130,000 this year on the tennis courts, including more than $90,000 for her showing on the red clay of Roland Garros.
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