Rogers solid US Open run cut short after third-round exit

For Shelby Rogers, the 2022 U.S. Open was all about making a statement.

Charleston’s first lady of tennis made a statement in the world of haute couture when she debuted The Fila by Brandon Maxwell Collection just in time for the U.S. Open, which was contested at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.

 

“New York is always an opportunity to showcase fashion and he brought a fresh perspective to these on-court designs,” Rogers informed her Instagram followers.

 

Rogers also made a statement for posterity about Serena Williams, arguably the greatest female tennis player in the universe, who just might have played in her last Grand Slam event.

 

“A thank you isn’t enough,” Rogers said on Instagram. “It was an honor to learn from you, share the court with you and be your teammate. Forever grateful for what you have done on and off the court.”

 

Rogers played Williams one time in her career. In 2020, Rogers, World No. 116, defeated Williams 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the Top Seed Open quarterfinals in Lexington, Kentucky. Rogers took six of the last eight points after trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker. Rogers and Williams were U.S. Fed Cup teammates in 2017.

 

And, of course, Rogers made a statement on the hardcourts of Gotham City with another solid showing at the U.S. Open, the culmination of summer tennis.

 

Rogers, who has a reputation as a giant-killer, pushed World No. 5 Ons Jabeur to the brink in a third-round match that lasted two hours and 17 minutes before the Tunisian survived to post a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision in front of a huge appreciative crowd.

 

Rogers was seeking her eighth Top-10 victory and fourth in Grand Slam events. Last year, she stunned World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

 

But Jabeur, who appeared to be nauseous late in the match, had too much talent and too much mettle as she improved to 3-0 against Rogers, who now owns a 15-9 record in the U.S. Open.

 

Rogers broke Jabeur’s service three times to win the first set, 6-4 and appeared to be headed to another massive victory. 

 

Rogers led 4-3 in the second set, but Jabeur rallied to win 12 of the next 13 points to win the second set. Rogers kept battling, but Jabeur finally converted her sixth match-point opportunity to advance.

 

Rogers, who turns 30 in October, played in her first U.S. Open in 2010. Since then, she has become a crowd favorite. Need proof? You could have walked past the subway entrance at the Lexington Ave./53 St. Station in Manhattan and there was Rogers, on a video board, modeling Fila’s new tennis lineup.

 

Last year, she reached the Round of 16 and scored the memorable victory over Barty. In 2020, Rogers defeated World No. 12 Petra Kvitova to reach the quarterfinals. However, World No. 9 Naomi Osaka ended Rogers’ dream run with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.