NEW YORK — In a fierce third-round battle that lasted two hours and nine minutes, Wimbledon champion and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty blew a comfortable third-set lead and was ousted from the US Open by 43rd-ranked American Shelby Rogers 6-2 2-6 7-6.
Barty got off to a slow start in the first set, barely moving, Rogers baseline forehand shots stopping her right on her tracks. Then, she flipped a switch, not only being nimble, but also making Rogers move with her shallow slices. She broke Rogers early in the second set and didn’t look back, taking the set 2-6.
Rogers, who has never beaten Barty before, made one of the biggest comebacks of the 2021 US Open in the third set. Barty, who was leading 5-2, suddenly found herself being broken, not just once, but twice. Rogers won four consecutive games, taking the lead 6-5 for the first time since the first set.
Even when the tie-breaker began, this could have been anybody’s game. Barty’s serve stunned Rogers, but then she made Barty uncomfortable with her baseline shots, her power and speed making Barty uncomfortable.
Rogers won the tie-breaker 7-5, winning against Barty for the first time in the six times they’ve played so far.
And the Arthur Ashe crowd roared with Rogers as she looked around at her box in disbelief. In the on-court interview after, she wiped away tears and thanked the New York crowd for supporting her throughout the match.
In the fourth round, Rogers will face Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who at 18 years of age is having a breakthrough season, first winning three qualifiers to make the main draw and then dominating against World No. 41 Sara Sorribes Tormo in a 6-0 6-1 win.
Barty, who is coming off of a stellar season winning five titles, will have to wait another year to make it to week two of the US Open. Her best result in Flushing Meadows is reaching the fourth round. Rogers made it to the quarterfinals in 2020.
“Can’t get any worse. You’ve lost to her every time,” Rogers said at the on-court interview. “Try something different.”