World No. 116 Rogers stuns Williams to enter Top Seed Open semis
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Serena Williams, Image courtesy: PTI
Lexington: World No. 116 Shelby Rogers earned an thunderous upset at the Top Seed Open as she stunned top seed Serena Williams in a thrilling clash to claim a spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing Top Seed Open.
In her first-ever meeting with Williams, Rogers fought back from a set down to register a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) win in a match that lasted two hours and seven minutes on Friday. This was her third career victory over a Top 10 player.
"It was important for me going onto the court thinking I could win that match, and knowing I could take care of my service games," Rogers said, during her post-match press conference as per the WTA website. "Because (Williams) has probably the best serve of all time, and when she wants to, she can win a point on her serve."
"I just tried to control what I could control, and that's mostly my service games, and then if I had an opportunity, I tried to capitalise," Rogers added. "I think the few that I did have today, I was able to do that."
Rogers will now face Switzerland's Jil Teichmann -- who defeated Catherine Bellis 6-2, 6-4 -- for a place in the final.
Meanwhile, American teenager Coco Gauff also rallied for a thrilling victory over Ons Jabeur to make it to the final four of the tournament. Trailing 6-4, 4-2 against the No.8 seed and facing a break point for 5-2, Gauff pulled off a thrilling comeback to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in almost two hours. She will now face America's Jennifer Brady in her last-four clash.