American Shelby Rogers was a winner on the Hologic WTA Tour for the first time in 11 months on Wednesday at the Miami Open, as the former World No.30 outlasted Czech teenager Linda Fruhirtova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in first-round action.
Rogers was sidelined for the second half of 2023 after Wimbledon after she underwent a second career knee surgery in the summer. She lost to Emma Raducanu in the first round of the Australian Open in her return to the tour this year, but rallied from a set behind to beat Fruhvirtova, who two years ago at 16 was the youngest player to reach the fourth round in Miami since 2004.
After the match, an emotional Rogers, now 31, spoke from the heart in her on-court interview. Her last previous tour-level win was at the Mutua Madrid Open last April, where she was seeded No.33.
"I'm not getting any younger, so every match I play now is really special," the former World No.30, now No.325 due to her inactivity, said. "The rehab is hard, coming back, and all these players are so good -- and they're like, half my age!
"I just love this sport so much and all I wanted to do today was come out and enjoy competing."
The win was doubly special for Rogers as it was her first as a married woman. She married John Slavik -- who proposed to her at her hometown tournament in Charleston last spring -- in December. Per Rogers, Slavik "got the day off work" to cheer her on to her seventh career main-draw victory in Miami.
"It's so crazy to say that, oh my gosh, I'm still struggling to call him my husband. I've got to get used to that! It's so fun. We've learned a lot. Married life is so fun," Rogers told Tennis Channel afterwards.
"It was so special to have him in my corner today. He's always there but in person, it means a lot."
Rogers will be the second-round opponent for 2021 Roland Garros finalist and No.21 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
