MIAMI, April 8, 2017 (BSS/AFP) – Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia bucked an upset trend that claimed Caroline Wozniacki on Friday, ending the hopes of hometown favorite Shelby Rogers at the WTA event in Charleston, South Carolina.
Croatia’s Lucic-Baroni, seeded 11th, defeated Rogers 6-7 (7/9), 6-1, 6-1 to book a semi-final berth.
She was the only seeded quarter-finalist to advance as fifth-seeded Wozniacki, eighth-seeded Anastasija Sevastova and 10th-seeded Irina Camelia Begu were all toppled by unseeded players.
Lucic-Baroni, 35, is the oldest player remaining in the tournament. When she played in Charleston for the first time in 2001, Rogers was a ball girl in the event.
“It was beautiful in a way,” Lucic-Baroni said. “It was difficult playing against the crowd, because Shelby is from here. It’s normal. It’s always tough, but I felt they were very respectful. They were cheering for their home girl, and it’s totally normal.
“The wind was what was really difficult today. It was incredibly hard, and the fact that I came out yesterday and today playing some great tennis and winning in these conditions, it’s incredible, really, really good effort.