Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic on Wednesday handed Shelby Rogers another disappointing defeat in her hometown with a straight-sets win at the Credit One Bank Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina.
Tomljanovic beat Rogers 6-1, 6-2 on the second day of the tournament, which is giving WTA Tour players, led by Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, a chance to compete before the tour returns after the COVID-19 suspension.
It was not the first time Tomljanovic had tested herself since the pandemic brought the WTA Tour to a standstill. She competed in last month’s UTR Pro Match Series.
Those matches were contested in the shortened Fast4 format, while this week’s event on the clay courts that host a WTA Tour event each year features 16 players contesting traditional singles and doubles in a team format.
Strict social distancing and other health protocols are in place for the event, which means that Rogers is staying not at home, but in a hotel near the venue.
Nor can she count on support of family and friends in the stands, which are empty.
“It’s definitely not the same,” Rogers told the local Post & Courier.
However, Rogers said that the toughest adjustment was making her own line calls in the absence of line judges.
“That was the worst part for me,” Rogers said. “I was not very good at calling the lines. I didn’t want to cheat her, so I think I missed a couple, so then I got ticked about that.”
In other results on Wednesday, which was a second straight day of rain delays, Amanda Anisimova defeated fellow American Daniella Collins 7-5, 6-4, while team captain Bethanie Mattek-Sands completed a 6-1, 6-3 win over Puerto Rican Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig.
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