The world’s top-ranked tennis player has fallen.
Shelby Rogers rallied back to knock off No. 1 Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), in the third round of the US Open on Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker match.
Rogers is now the last American woman left standing in New York.
“I’m not sure I can [explain it],” Rogers said on the court. “I just said make balls try to stay in this match, it can’t get any worse. You’ve lost to her every time. Try something different.”
Shelby Rogers upsets Ash Barty
Rogers came out hot after dropping the initial game, winning the next three to take a quick lead on Saturday night. Though Barty took a dominant game 5, Rogers made easy work of the next three to close it out.
Barty made 17 unforced errors in that first set, too, something that clearly didn’t help the Australian.
In the second set, however, Barty reminded the world why she’s earned that top ranking.
Barty won five straight games with ease after splitting the first two with Rogers to even things up and force a third set — which she then took a 5-2 lead in right away, and seemed poised to move into the fourth round.
Rogers, however, then rattled off four straight wins to stun Barty and eventually land in a tiebreaker, which she won on a pair of Barty forced errors to end the just more than two-hour match.
Rogers will now take on 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, an 18-year-old from the United Kingdom who beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets earlier on Saturday to reach the fourth round.
Rogers, 28, has yet to make it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam — which she reached last year in New York.
“I’m just so excited to be moving on to the next round,” Rogers said on the court, clearly not wanting to look ahead too far.
