The first two sets were a wash. They were never both playing at their best at the same time; however, things changed in the third set. The third set revealed two things: belief and trust.

Ashleigh Barty Had The Match On Her Racquet Twice

As I watched the match unfold, it was evident that both players were tense. What surprised me was that the number one seed despite the lead, never quite looked comfortable. Could this be the advantage of the home crowd inspiring Rogers, while unnerving Barty? We may never know; yet, it was so unlike Barty to serve for the match two times and be unsuccessful.

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What Happened In The Eighth Game?

Unforced errors crept into Barty’s game, and the nerves increased right along with the errors. She double faulted and made a slew of forehand errors, which resulted in her getting broken. What little comfort she had achieved with the two-break-lead, sixty percent was erased. Nevertheless, she is a champion, she expects setbacks; however, this rattled her. Meanwhile, Shelby was efficient with her service game, putting the pressure squarely back on the shoulders of the number one seed.

Second Attempt For Barty Went Begging

At 5-4 up, Barty served once again for the match. I have never seen Rogers move as much to stay rallies as she did in the latter stages of this match. She was inspired and motivated by the crowd to give everything she had left in the tank. A superbly executed forehand lob gave her break point, but  Barty fought that off. However, Marty could not avoid making a few more forehand errors and on the second break opportunity, Rogers capitalized to even the match.

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Rogers Forced A Tiebreak To Decide The Match

Everyone must have felt that surely, Barty would right the ship and squeak out the victory; however, Rogers came to compete. One mini-break was all she needed and this time, she was not about to squander the lead or the momentum. Rogers served a service winner to gain her first victory in six attempts against her opponent. She upset the number one seed and advanced to the fourth round for the second time at the US Open.

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