Taylor Townsend has given her immediate on-court reaction to knocking Venus Williams out of the Washington Open doubles.

The American, partnered with Zhang Shuai, boasts an impressive list of triumphs at this level, including two Grand Slam titles.

It was as tough a draw as the 45-year-old could have hoped for, and yet they fought until the end, forcing the match into a deciding tiebreak, which they sadly lost.

And so, that ends Venus Williams’ doubles run in DC, with Townsend offering some instant words of praise for the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Taylor Townsend reacts to knocking Venus Williams out of Washington Open doubles

Speaking on-court, she first sought to thank the fans who had flocked to see this spectacle. She began: “Yeah, I mean, first off, I want to thank everyone for coming out and watching this match. This is the best crowd that I’ve seen for singles or doubles, so thank you guys for supporting us.”

Attention then turned to Venus, continuing: “I mean, you know, she’s a champion.

“Like I said, I mean, she’s was practising two on one, still hits the ball so clean. Still is such a great competitor, and within the match made adjustments that made it more difficult for us to come and execute our game plan.

“So we had to adjust, and I think that that’s what a champion is, that’s what it’s about, being able to adjust on the fly and not allow your opponent to keep beating you the same way, and she didn’t let us do that. She came up with some really great shots, and great serves, and like you guys saw, it came down to the wire, so we’re glad to get through it.”

After this run, Andy Roddick has spoken about the potential of Venus Williams getting a US Open wild card, and if he’d be bothered.

Venus Williams has already made history at Washington Open

Having won a match in both the singles and doubles draw of the Washington Open, what Venus has already accomplished in DC is nothing short of remarkable.

After all, to return to the sport after a hiatus that lasted over a year, and to then be drawn against a solid opponent like Peyton Stearns, marked certain defeat for the legendary veteran.

And yet, as the champion that she is, she remained undeterred.

Sweeping aside her young compatriot in two simple sets, the 45-year-old became the second-oldest woman to ever win a WTA match, behind just Martina Navratilova.

Should she maintain her form and win her next singles match, one of Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu will await.