September 05, (THEWILL) – America’s last tennis player standing at the year’s US Open in New York, Shelby Rogers, gave the home crowd a lot to cheer for as she rallied to create the biggest upset so far in the women’s singles by defeating top seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-5) in the third round of the major.
The world number one was 5-2 up in the final set and expectedly coasting to the fourth round when Rogers turned up the afterburners to not only change the course of the momentum but build upon it to take the set to a tie-break that she won.
Ranked 43rd in the world, the American had demonstrated her drive for victory when she took the first set 6-2. But, it was a set where Barty appeared to be devoid of the rhythm that made the highest ranked player a tough opponent to engage in the courts.
She seemed to have found some of that in the second set as she bounced back to her best form allowing Rogers only the slimmest chance of a game win in a one-sided second set that finished 6-1. Barty carried that form into the third set and Rogers was staring elimination in the face when Barty was serving at 5-2.
That was when the turnaround happened. The 28-year-old American mounted a brilliant comeback, breaking Barty’s serve twice in a consecutive four-game win to force the match into a decisive tiebreak.
Buoyed on by a heavily partisan crowd cheering her every move, Rogers won the tiebreak to defeat the top seed to thunderous applause in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, for her first win against a number one-ranked opponent and her first in six matches against Barty.
An astonished Rogers held her hands to her face as she clinched the match, before raising both hands in the air in celebration while the import of the victory began to seep into her consciousness.
For the second straight year, after she reached the quarterfinals a year ago, she had entered the last 16 again where she will now face Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Monday. As THEWILL reported, 18-year-old Raducanu created an upset of her own by beating world number 41 Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain 6-0, 6-1 on Saturday.
In her on-court interview, Rogers was still trying to get to grips with her victory. She said: “I am not sure I can explain it, I just tried to fight for every point.
“I didn’t want to leave, I just said make balls, try and stay in the match. I tweeted yesterday that the ground is next level this year. They pick a winner and go for it. Thank you for picking me. You guys are in control of the tournament.
“I am so excited to be moving on to the next round.”
For Barty, the world number one, who had so far had a sterling season, the defeat in New York was another disappointment with the chance of a third Grand Slam gone. However, the 25-year-old took it with a calm demeanour. In post-match comments, she said:
“I just didn’t quite have enough physically or mentally in the tank. But that’s OK. We’ve had a great year so far. We’re looking forward to celebrating the good stuff that we’ve done, learning from the hurt, learning from the experiences, and moving on.
“I mean, the last six months have been a roller coaster. I think back to the very first match that I played on this trip. I was 5-2 down in the third set in the first round of Miami. Tennis has a funny way of evening things out, doesn’t it?
“I’m proud of myself and my team for all the efforts we’ve put in in the last six months. It’s been pretty incredible. I don’t think we could have asked for much more honestly. I wouldn’t change a thing.
“With all of the tough moments that we have had, it’s created some of the most enjoyable experiences. I’ve learnt so much about myself, about them, the way that we work together. It’s been truly an incredible six months.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
