Shelby Rogers came back from one set down to beat Amanda Anisimova 3-6 6-0 6-3 after 1 hour and 25 minutes on Grandstand Ground in the first round of the Miami Open.
Rogers scored her second comeback win over Anisimova in their two head-to-head matches. Last year Rogers rallied from 1-6 1-4 down to beat Anisimova.
Anisimova went up 4-2 after five consecutive breaks in the first set and held on her lead to seal the first set 6-3.
Rogers won 91% of her first service points and converted three of her break points in the second set to take a bagel win in the opening set.
Rogers upset Ashleigh Barty in three sets at last year’s US Open.
Rogers earned a break point in the fourth game, as Anisimova made a double fault. Rogers forced an error long to earn the only break of the third set and held on her next service games to close out the third set 6-3.
“Anisimova can come out and dictate play like nobody else when she is on fire. It’s hard to do anything. I felt like I had to counter that a little bit better. I was a little passive in the first, just running side by side. She played incredible. I am just really happy I closed it out because I knew she was going to raise her level again at the end”, said Rogers.
Rogers set up a second round match against Jelena Ostapenko. The US player beat her Latvian rival for the first time in their four head-to-head matches two weeks ago in Indian Wells.
Daria Saville beat Greet Minnen 7-5 6-3. Saville reached the quarter finals in Guadalajara and the Round of 16 in Indian Wells, where she scored a top-10 win over Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
Saville set up a second round match against Halep, who has won three of her four head-to-head matches. Halep lost to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Heather Watson came back from one set down to beat Aranxta Rus 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-4 in 3 and a half hours.
Marta Kostyuk came back from one set down to beat Alison Van Uytvanck 4-6 6-2 6-1.
Magda Linette overcame 19-year-old Zheng Quinwen 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
Ekaterina Alexandrova cruised past Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-1 in 61 minutes.
