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Miami - Top seed Madison Keys and former world number-one Venus Williams were the biggest casualties on a day of upsets at the WTA Charleston clay-court event in South Carolina on Wednesday.
Keys was bundled out 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 by fellow American Shelby Rogers, who grew up in Charleston and delighted her home crowd with an aggressive performance that overwhelmed her compatriot.
"It's really hard to explain," Rogers said in an
on-court interview. "I've played here so many years in a row, and it's not
always easy.
"I feel like I've learned a lot of lessons and I've
grown up right here in front of this crowd. It's so special," the
24-year-old added.
Rogers will face Naomi Osaka in the next round after the
Japanese player knocked out number 13 seed Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the
day.
Elsewhere, Venus Williams was left baffled after losing a
punishing three-set, second-round battle to Germany's Laura Siegemund.
The veteran third seed bowed out in her opening match of the
tournament, losing 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5 to the 29-year-old world number 37.
It was Siegemund's second three-setter of the tournament,
and the German admitted she was as surprised as anyone following a win in which
she saved two match points.
"I have no idea!" Siegemund told an interviewer
when asked to explain her victory.
"It was a really good match; it was going up and down.
I just tried to believe in my game, and if I was down, I told myself I was
going to get more chances."
Siegemund squandered a match point in the second set and was
then broken as she served for the match in the same set as Williams forced a
third set.
Siegemund then recovered twice from breaks in the decider
and saved two match points of her own as Williams served for the match at 5-4.
Siegemund broke however to level it at 5-5 and then held and
broke Williams to clinch victory.
Williams admitted she had been unable to shake off
Siegemund.
"I tried my best to think this could be the best match
she'll ever play in her life, honestly," Williams said. "I basically
won but still lost.
"I really played the best game I could. I pretty much hit winners, but she hit winners back on me, and I just didn't have any answers for that."
Results on Tuesday in the WTA tournament at Charleston, South Carolina (x-denotes seeded player):
2nd rd
Samantha Stosur (AUS x6) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 6-1, 6-3
1st rd
Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Veronica Cepede (PAR) 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)
Zhang Shuai (CHN x13) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-2, 6-1
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO x11) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Jennifer Brady (USA) 7-5, 6-4
Fanny Stollr (HUN) bt Asia Muhammed (USA) 6-3, 7-5
Maria Sakkari (GRE) bt Lauren Davis (USA x14) 7-5, 6-4
Sara Errani (ITA) bt Grace Min (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) bt Duan Ying-Ying (CHN) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1
Annika Beck (GER) bt Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-0, 3-0 retired
Magda Linette (POL) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ x12) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Lucie Safarova (CZE x15) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Kristna Kucov (SVK) bt Silvia Soler (ESP) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2)
Irina Begu (ROM x10) bt agla Bykakay (TUR) 6-0, 6-0
Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Danka Kovinic (MNE) 6-1, 6-2
