The hits keep coming from American Shelby Rogers in Paris. The 23-year-old had a 4-9 record at the majors heading into Roland Garros but she has put together a miraculous run to reach the quarterfinals, becoming just the ninth player outside the Top 100 to reach the last eight at the French Open since 1983.
On Sunday she slipped by Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-4, and for the second time in as many matches, the tears were flowing from Rogers’ end of the court.
Turns out it’s nothing new for the American. “100 percent tears all the time,” Rogers said of her propensity to get emo. “Sad, happy, hungry, reading a book, watching a movie. They flow very easily.”
Rogers, who upset 10th-seeded Petra Kvitova in the third round, was previously best known for upsetting Eugenie Bouchard in Montreal in 2014. It was her only previous Top 10 win before defeating the Czech on Friday. But more important than the upset of Kvitova, was Rogers’ ability to come back two days later and take out a rising clay-courter like Begu.
“I think that's a very important point on backing up a big win,” Rogers said. “I guess I have done that pretty much this whole tournament, starting with the first round, because that was a huge upset for me and kind of set the tone for the last few matches I have played. I keep reminding myself to play one point at a time and that this is just another tennis match. But that's getting a little bit harder to do as the rounds get farther.
"But I'm very happy with the way I played, and I just hope to continue it."
Rogers will look to continue her Paris magic in the quarterfinals when she meets 4th-seeded Garbine Muguruza. If she wins, expect more tears. And not just from her; from her growing legion of fans as well.
“I hope that, you know, I can inspire some people too because that's really one of the biggest reasons why I play is, you know, for the kids growing up, for the people from Charleston. I want to be a good role model,” she said. “Hopefully I am.”