Field Level Media
15 Aug 2020, 04:49 GMT+10
Serena Williams' run of third-set magic ran out Friday, as the top-seeded player at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky., was bounced by Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
After dropping the first set before winning the next two in each of her first two matches in the hard-court tune-up for the U.S. Open, the ninth-ranked Williams appeared heading for an easy win.
But down a set and serving 0-30 with the second set tied 4-4, Rogers -- who is ranked No. 116 in the world -- answered to win the next four points, then break Williams two sets later to even the match at a set apiece.
"It's every kid's dream, growing up watching (Williams) play," Rogers said in her post-match interview, per tennis.com. "Weird circumstances, weird setting. But a win is a win. It's great to see everyone fit and playing well. I was definitely overwhelmed in the first with the pace and heavy spin. I tried to make a few more balls. The serve was a struggle for me to today, but second serve came through for me when I needed it."
In the third set, both players held serve through the first 12 games. But service breaks dominated the tiebreaker, where only five of the 12 points were won on serve. Rogers' fourth break of Williams allowed her to go up 6-4 and ultimately win.
Rogers advances to the semis to face Switzerland's Jil Belen Teichmann, who beat Catherine Cartan Bellis 6-2, 6-4.
Also on Friday, Jennifer Brady swept Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-2, to book a spot in the other semi. She will face the winner of Friday's final match between Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and American Coco Gauff.
Prague Open
Top-seeded Simona Halep of Romania had little trouble advancing to the semifinals of the clay-court tournament in the Czech Republic, downing Magdalena Frech of Poland in 59 minutes, 6-2, 6-0.
Halep needed three sets to advance in each of the first two rounds. The 28-year-old will meet the winner of the quarterfinal between fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu and Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo. Their match was suspended by weather with Begu up 6-2, 0-1. It will be completed Saturday.
In the other half of the draw, third-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium knocked off Canada's Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, setting up a semifinal against Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic. Pliskova advanced when Romania's Ana Bogdan retired with a left foot injury after grabbing a 5-2 lead in the first set.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Oakland Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Oakland Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: New single-family home sales in the U.S. rose sharply in April to their highest level in over three years as builders...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Florida mother, Megan Garcia, is suing Google and AI startup Character.AI, claiming their chatbot played a role...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Army plans to change the records of transgender soldiers to list only their sex at birth, according to a...
MINNETONKA, Minnesota: UnitedHealth shares took a sharp hit this week, after a report by the UK's Guardian alleged the healthcare giant...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union antitrust regulators are examining fees imposed by payment giants Visa and Mastercard, Bloomberg...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Army plans to change the records of transgender soldiers to list only their sex at birth, according to a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said this week that it will require airlines to reduce the number of flights...
GAZA - The home of a doctor working in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza was struck by Israel Air...