Rogers Shows Her Potential in Rout of Suarez-Navarro

American Shelby Rogers notched the biggest win of her career on Thursday, knocking off 15th- ranked player in the world Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-4, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Gastein Ladies tournament in Austria.

The 21-year old from South Carolina smashed 11 aces and lost only one service game en route to the straight set victory in less than 90 minutes. The 5’9 155 lbs Rogers used her serve to overpower the third-seeded Spaniard and reach her first career quarterfinal on the WTA tour.

Rogers has had a promising future on the tennis circuit since a very young age. She got into tennis at the age of six as she followed her older sister Sabra’s footsteps. By the age of 11, she was becoming a known commodity and playing on a national stage. After being home-schooled throughout high-school she decided to skip college despite multiple scholarship offers, and pursue a career in professional tennis.

She played in her first Grand Slam in 2010 after receiving a wild card to the US Open, but was bounced in the first round by China’s Peng Shuai. The dream of making it on the tour took a slight detour following a car accident that same year. She had to have a toe amputated and the injuries as a result of the accident disrupted her ability to play in 2010 and 2011.

The American kept fighting, however, and in July 2012 she picked up her first professional title in Yakima, Washington. In 2013, she enjoyed the most success of her young career, winning three titles on her way to a 33-20 overall record.

She qualified for the French Open this year but was ousted in the first-round by Russian Ekaterina Makarova. Rogers will be looking to parlay her success in upcoming tournaments into an invitation to the US Open at the end of August. Her victory over Suarez-Navarro on Thursday has garnered some international attention as she’s routed one of the top players in the world. She had to win three matches just too even qualify for the tournament, and now the 147th-ranked player in the world has reached the final eight.

Up next for the rising Rogers will be Italian Camila Giorgi with a spot in the Gastein Ladies semifinals on the line. The American has demonstrated perseverance throughout her career and should be a bright spot for American tennis going forward.