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Serena Williams suffered her first loss since 2012 to a rival outdoors the WTA’s prime 100, falling to fellow American Shelby Rogers in a Friday quarter-final on the Top Seed Open. Rogers, ranked 116th, outlasted ninth-ranked Williams 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) after two hours and 7 minutes, ending the 23-time Grand Slam champion with a service winner. “It’s every kid’s dream growing up to be able to do something like that,” Rogers stated. “Weird circumstances. Weird surroundings. But a win is a win.” The US Open hardcourt tuneup occasion at Lexington, Kentucky, is being staged in a quarantine bubble as a result of COVID-19 pandemic that had stored Williams idle since a February Fed Cup look.
Top seed Williams had not misplaced to a participant outdoors the highest 100 since falling to France’s Virginie Razzano within the first spherical of the 2012 French Open.
Williams, who ousted sister Venus on Thursday, was enjoying matches to organize for the US Open, which begins August 31. She will search a seventh title on the New York hardcourts to match Margaret Court’s all-time file of 24 Grand Slam crowns.
“I have only good things to take,” Williams stated. “I can play a lot better.”
Rogers reached her first WTA semi-final since Rio in 2016. She’ll face 63rd-ranked Swiss left-hander Jil Teichmann, who ousted American Catherine Bellis 6-2, 6-4.
The different semi-final will ship American Jen Brady — who ousted Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 6-2 — in opposition to US teen Coco Gauff, who received 10 of the final 11 video games to rally previous Tunisian eighth seed Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
A rain delay of two hours and 45 minutes postponed her match, however Williams confirmed no signal the wait had put the 38-year-old mom off her recreation.
Williams broke for a 2-Zero lead by forcing an errant Rogers backhand, broke once more within the sixth recreation when Rogers netted a forehand and held on a service winner to assert the opening set after solely 26 minutes.
“Definitely a little overwhelmed in the first with that pace,” Rogers stated of Williams and her highly effective serve. “Tried to hit a few more volleys in the second, just hit one more ball.”
Rogers, who by no means confronted a break level within the final two units, broke on her third likelihood within the final recreation of the second set when Williams netted a forehand.
Both gamers held serve into the tie-breaker, the place Williams jumped forward 3-1, solely to have Rogers run off 4 straight factors, two on Serena’s serve, to grab the lead for good.
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Williams netted a backhand to present Rogers two match factors, however saved the primary with a service winner solely to fall when Rogers answered with a service winner of her personal.
Rogers, who will return to the WTA prime 100 subsequent week, was in her first quarter-final since May 2017, due partly to a protracted absence after a 2018 left knee harm.
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