Shelby Rogers led 5-4 in the second set, but ended up losing to Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in the match that lasted three hours Monday night.

Hometown heroine Rogers eliminated from play early

It was a script that was almost too good to be true.
 
The Credit One Charleston Open, formerly known as the Family Circle Cup and then the Volvo Car Open, returned in style to celebrate the historic tournament’s 50 years of play Monday. For the first time since 2019, fans were in attendance as competition in the main draw began. The tournament was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19 and last year the event was played without fans in attendance.
 
And if you were a fan on Monday, you had to be impressed with the $50 million renovation of Credit One Stadium, which went from something reminiscent of a giant erector set into a tennis Taj Mahal.
 
The weather was so delightful Monday that you wondered if the tennis gods bribed Mother Nature, or at least the local weatherman. The play was top-notch as well, highlighted by victories from Urkranians Anhelina Kalinina and Katarina Zavatska.
 
But the script was to save the best for last. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new surroundings kicked off the night session, which featured hometown heroine Shelby Rogers, who faced Kaia Kanepi in the first Monday night session in the new stadium’s history.
 
Rogers labored early, finally cashing in on one of eight set-point opportunities to claim the first set. She led 5-4 in the second set, but almost went down for the count when she fell hard on the green clay on an attempted return shot.
 
Rogers took a medical timeout, went to the locker room and returned to rousing applause. But the energy Rogers worked so hard to create didn’t return and the 36-year-old Kanepi grinded out a 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-2 victory in a match that lasted three hours.
 
“Definitely not the outcome I wanted tonight,” said the 28-year-old Rogers, who entered the tournament at World No. 44. “I guess I have to say a cliche: ‘It’s not how many times you fall, it’s how many times you get back up.’”
 
It was good to be home with fans, said Rogers, who was first connected to the tournament 21 years ago when she was an 8-year-old ball girl.
 
“When you walk out on court and hear fans (chanting) my name, it’s really special,” Rogers added. “You can always learn from your losses, even ones like tonight.”
 
The effervescent Rogers displayed a whole range of emotions during the late-night post-match interview. She smiled, laughed and even talked about her cuts, and bumps and bruises she suffered in her third career meeting against Kanepi.
 
Rogers wiped away tears when she recounted past tournament experiences in Charleston, whether they were stunning victories or double-bagel losses. She even looked to the future, including one last stop in the U.S. before heading to Europe for the clay-court season, which concludes with The French Open and the red clay of Roland Garros.
 
Rogers will play for Team USA in the Billie Jean King Cup, which will be contested against Ukraine, April 15-16 in Asheville, N.C.
 

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