MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 29, 2026

Katerina Siniakova

Taylor Townsend

Press Conference

SINIAKOVA-TOWNSEND/Errani-Paolini

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Ladies, congratulations. Miami Open champions and also Sunshine Double champions. Can you just both say a few words what this tournament win means to you?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Go ahead, Kat. You always say I go first.

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: Good job (laughing).

Well, thank you. Yeah, it means a lot. It was amazing journey, and it was really difficult, because the conditions in Indian Wells and over here are totally different. So I think we really work hard.

Maybe the rain today a little bit help us, because we were back there and felt our rhythm. Yeah, I'm just really proud how we improved as a team, and definitely those both titles means a lot.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Yeah. I mean, I agree. It's really special for me. This is something that Kat has never done before. Finally, we're making history together (smiling). Every time we're doing things, it's like, she's won this and this.

It's nice to do something new, but it means a lot to me. This is something I have never accomplished before in my career. You know, when we started, you know, we weren't even talking about this. Obviously everyone knows about the Sunshine Double, but we never spoke about, you know, winning it or results or anything. We just really tried to be better each match. Every time that we stepped out on the court, we just tried to be better.

I think that today was a perfect match and indication of that, like, we weren't really playing our best, weren't really doing what we wanted to do in the first set, but we had the rain delay and were able to come back and just, from start to finish, play our game the way that we wanted, no matter if we won, lost, whatever.

So that's what it's all about. I'm really happy with the way that we started from this last month and definitely the way that we finished.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. The first set was huge. It was about 40-Love. You came back. Three set points. Talk about how that kind of changed the momentum of the match.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I honestly don't even remember what happened.

Q. 4-5, 40-Love, yeah.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Was that doop, doop, doop, doop?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: Yeah, I think that was first one.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: Okay. Oh, wow.

Yeah, I don't know. That's happened quite a lot over this last month for me. I mean, I didn't know I was down a match point in Austin, and I shanked a forehand that was a lob that landed in, and then I ended up winning the match.

It's probably best that we don't really think about it, but for me, I just felt like we had so many opportunities and we were doing the right things, but we just weren't executing, like, as well as we could.

So in those moments, we just try to bear down. We knew that we were hitting the ball well. We were returning, maybe were missing the returns by a little bit, but were going to the right spot. Sometimes in those moments, in those situations, you just have to keep going.

For me, I know that I have some of the best hands in the world. Like, I know that I can defend volleys against anyone. I will back myself 10 times out of 10 at the net. I'm really happy that that was the point that saved us or whatever.

Yeah, I mean, I didn't really think about it, honestly. I was just excited that we were able to get that hold, because I knew that that was really important for us to keep the momentum and keep it alive.

Q. What happened -- you come back from a three-hour rain delay. They held for 6-6, and 7-0, was over in minutes. Can you talk us through the tiebreak? It just came together.

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: Yeah, I think it actually just clicked together. Yeah, as we were saying, I think the rain delay helped us, maybe we could a little bit talk what we want to do and kind of reset.

I think we just started well. I mean, you missed a volley, but we were doing right things. That's what we kind of wanted to do in a tiebreak.

Sara suddenly missed two volleys, and 3-0 is really good lead, so we just wanted to be aggressive, staying being there, playing every point. I think the tiebreak, we just knew what we want to do, and it really went our way.

So I think it really help us, I think, to kind of get into the zone and into our game.

Q. Congratulations. I was going to ask a little bit more about the rain delay. What do you guys do during the rain delay? What's your typical routine, and what did you do when you saw it was going to be the rain delay?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: I was so stressed, because I had to catch the flight, which I didn't catch because I had to change it. So this delay was a little bit different for me, because I was thinking, like, what I'm gonna do? Should I change? Should I didn't?

Q. What time was it supposed to be?

KATERINA SINIAKOVA: 6:45. So, okay, if we gonna go at 3:00, it's going to be quick and I'm still fine. But, yeah, it started rain again. She was really relaxed.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I was so relaxed. We had such nice conversations, and we had some food, you want to share, kick my feet up. I don't have a routine.

It's just because, like, you don't know. With the rain delays, it pushes back 30 minutes, an hour, the courts were dried, and then they rained again. So, you know, it's really tough to turn on, turn off, turn on, turn off.

I honestly was asleep when the supervisor came in, and he was, like, You got 15 minutes. I was, like, Okay.

I woke up, and maybe that was the key for me. I needed one of those mom 15-minute power naps that just charges you up.

But I felt great. I'm not a napper, so now I'm going to be up for the rest of the night.

Q. The reaction when they said you're going to the grandstand, you did great there, but was it, Oh, we're on the smaller court? What was your reaction to going out there and playing the final there?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: No, I mean, I was a little bit surprised just because that's never happened, especially at a final. But they explained, you know, with the TV and the men's singles slot, whatever. Honestly, I didn't really care. I just wanted to finish. I just wanted to play.

You know, it was nice that the fans came out and that there were people out there to support us and to see that the stands weren't empty. You know, days like this are very tough for outdoor sports in general where, you know, you have to stay and kind of wait through these conditions. With it being on and off, on and off, it extends the day. So, you know, I'm really appreciative of the fans.

For me, I was just chilling until he said it was time to go. When it was go time, we went. But yeah, I didn't mind. You know, a court is a court. That's how I grew up. That's how I was raised from the time that I have started playing. I have played on courts with cracks and weeds up to here.

So as long as it has lines, you know, you can do whatever you can do. For me, it was a court and it was another opportunity for us to finish and do what we wanted to do.

Q. As you said at the beginning, Taylor, Kat's done almost everything there is to winning in doubles. I wonder if that adds or decreases pressure, knowing you have this partner who has won everything already and has kind of been there, done that almost, nearly everything there is to do in women's doubles?

TAYLOR TOWNSEND: I'm just happy we have done something together. Like, you know, accomplished this as a team, you know, that goes down in the history books as, like, Taylor and Kat, Taylorina did the Sunshine Double.

So I'm really excited about that. It doesn't add any pressure to me. I think in this sport, every single tournament, you know, things can happen. You can win a Grand Slam, and then the next week you can lose first round. So there is no guarantees when you do well, you have good results, that it means that the following week that it matters.

You know, that is the tough part. You constantly have to reset. Even coming here from Indian Wells, we had to reset and we had to get used to the conditions. Even though we were playing really well, we both felt like it was a lot harder to adjust. And the singles helps for us, as well. We got a chance to get a couple matches under our belt there.

For me, I'm just excited to continue this partnership. I'm excited that we're getting better every week, that we're enjoying being together. We're not sick of each other. We're having fun.

You know, even during the times with the rain delays where you can separate and do your own thing, we sit with each other, we have conversations, laugh, joke, and so I think that's what makes it worthwhile, you know, and spending time with each other, even in this environment, that doesn't have anything to do with tennis. If only you guys could have heard what we were talking about (smiling).

Yeah, so, I mean, I'm enjoying it. It makes me feel really good to know that we're accomplishing these things as a team, but then also I know that the sky's the limit for us. We can continue to get better and improve, and the doubles for both of us helps our singles game. So I'm really excited to see how this confidence transfers over in that field, as well.