US Open: Shelby Rogers stuns top-ranked Ashleigh Barty to reach last 16

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Shelby Rogers scripted a memorable comeback to knock out world number one
Australian Ashleigh Barty in the third round of the ongoing US Open on
Saturday. The world number 43 was trailing 5-2 in the final set, with Barty twice
serving for the match, but Rogers rallied back to stun the Wimbledon Champion and
advance to the round of 16.

Rogers, who
reached the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows a year ago, held her nerves in
the final set tiebreaker to script a famous 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory.

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“Oh, come
on Pam!” Rogers said when asked if she was looking forward to her next match,
against world number 150 British teenager Emma Raducanu. “I’m just so excited
to be moving on the next round, I couldn’t have done it without you guys (the
crowd). Thank you, everyone in my box.”

Rogers’
reaction after the win was an indicator to the magnitude of the upset. Lingering
on the court for a while, Rogers recorded videos on her phone as a raucous
crowd cheered her on at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. This was Rogers’ first ever victory
over Barty in six meetings.  

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“You guys
are in control of the tournament. You were awesome and I didn’t want to leave.
I just wanted to make balls and stay in the match,” she told the crowd after the
win.

Barty struggled
to find her rhythm in the first set, but soon regained the kind of form that won
her the 2019 Rolland Garros and this year’s Wimbledon.

She bounced back from the setback in the first set to register a convincing win in the second. But under pressure from Rogers’ incredible play in the final set, a rattled Barty made slew of unforced errors as she allowed the American to claw her way back into contention. 

Barty was the latest in a string of high-profile upsets at the US Open this year. On Friday, defending champion Naomi Osaka lost to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev were also knocked out of the third round.