Wild card a chance of career for Rogers

  • James Beck
  • Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2011 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Sunday, March 18, 2012 6:12 p.m.
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Last year's U.S. Open offered Shelby Rogers a unique opportunity on a huge stage. Only a first-round three-set loss to tour veteran Shuai Peng spoiled the setup created by a wild-card berth in the Grand Slam tournament.

At 18 years old, Rogers is still a teenager, but life is ready to turn serious. She's a pro ranked No. 328 in the world.

Rogers will get her next big opportunity in a little more than two weeks in the main draw of the Family Circle Cup, thanks to a wild card from the WTA Tour Premier level tournament. This is the chance of a career for a young player.

One win in the Family Circle will probably move Rogers up nearly 50 places in the world rankings. Of course, that's no easy task against the world's best players. And life won't get any easier after that in the hungry world of professional tennis.

If she happens to land a prime-time spot in Family Circle Magazine Stadium, it will be the real thing this time, not the fun atmosphere of last year's Friday night doubles exhibition. But that's what Rogers is hoping for, showtime under the lights.

The Daniel Island girl is determined to make it on the pro tour. She has just returned from a training trip to Las Vegas where she spent time with the likes of Darren Cahill, Andy Murray's mother, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi-fitness guru Gil Reyes.

She's back at Family Circle Tennis Center trying to put some of the techniques she learned into action before heading out next week for Pelham, Ala., to compete in the qualifying tournament for a $25,000 challenger. "Then I'll come home for a few days to get ready for the Family Circle Cup," she said.

"Tennis is my life. I'm getting tougher, trying to get to the next level."

Rogers didn't hesitate when Family Circle officials offered her a spot in the tournament's main draw. "Naturally, I accepted it," she said.

And with the invitation and its acceptance comes a milestone for Charleston tennis. The fulfillment of the dream of Charleston producing its own Family Circle Cup participant symbolizes the impact the tournament has had on local tennis in the last decade.

The ups and downs

Everyone who turns pro in sports doesn't achieve success. Injuries and missed chances are more common than glory.

The ups and downs of former Smash Junior Cup winners Mallory Cecil of Spartanburg and Alison Riske are studies in contrast.

Two years ago, Cecil was on her way to a sensational freshman year when the sky appeared to be the limit as she won Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and NCAA MVP honors while leading Duke to a national championship. She dropped out of Duke after her freshman year and concentrated on professional tennis.

Cecil received a wild card into the Family Circle Cup's main draw in 2009, partly because an injured shoulder prevented her from using the Smash Cup's wild card for the 2008 Family Circle's qualifying event. But Cecil's pro career may have been a short one. She is back at Duke as a first-year student assistant coach.

Riske's pro career appears to be on a steady climb higher since winning the 2009 Smash Cup. She, too, was awarded a wild card into the Family Circle Cup's main draw the next year. Riske turned down a scholarship to Vanderbilt, but has climbed more than 200 spots in the rankings in the last two years. She is now challenging for the top 100 at No. 114 while holding the 10th spot among U.S. women on the WTA Tour.

Fishburne and son

Diane Fishburne took a little time off after returning from earthquake-hit New Zealand, where she helped the U.S. women's 50 team win another Maria Bueno Cup ITP world team championship. The 53-year-old former College of Charleston All-American was in Chicago last weekend teaming with the other half of the USTA's top-ranked mother/son team, Matt Hane, to win another national mother/son tournament.

Fishburne and Hane plan to play in all three national mother/son tournaments this year in defense of their No. 1 ranking.

Hane has been named the new head tennis pro at the I'On Club, serving on tennis director JoAnn Lee's staff.

Fishburne, who has dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the world in women's 50, was unable to defend her world individual title due to the cancellation of the singles tournament in Christchurch, New Zealand. "There's talk of having the individuals in October at a different site," the four-time world champion said.

Notes

--Porter-Gaud won its fifth match of the week Saturday morning with an 8-1 win over Cape Fear Academy of Wilmington, N.C., as sophomore No. 1 Thomas Spratt remained unbeaten. The 7-0 Cyclones, who appear to be the early favorite to win a SCISA Class AAA state boys title, play at defending state champion Hilton Head Prep on Tuesday and at High School League Class AA power Waccamaw on Wednesday. Playing without senior No. 1 Aaron Cotton, Hilton Head Prep suffered a 6-3 loss to Pinewood Prep last week.

--Two local league tennis teams brought back titles from the recent Southern Section Combo Doubles Championships in Mobile, Ala. A team out of LTP Tennis captained by Ann Harrah captured the women's 9.5 title, while a Snee Farm Country Club team captained by Penny Kiggans took the senior women's 6.5 crown. Stan Flowers' men's 5.5 team from Charleston Tennis Center brought back a runner-up trophy.

--The College of Charleston women's team (7-5), winner of seven of its last nine, will continue its eight-match homestand today at 1 p.m. at Patriots Point complex against South Carolina.

Charleston will also host Clemson on Monday at 1 p.m., then face Cornell on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. before wrapping up the homestand on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. by beginning defense of its Southern Conference title against Elon.

--The College of Charleston men (7-4) will travel to Greenville on Thursday to take on perennial SoCon favorite Furman, then return home for a SoCon matchup with Wofford next Saturday at 11 a.m.

--The Citadel is in Birmingham, Ala., today to take on Samford in an attempt to improve the Bulldogs' 1-13 record. The Bulldogs will return home for a 2 p.m. match on Wednesday against Chicago, then entertain Georgia Southern on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

--Teams from Myrtle Beach's Dunes Club, Columbia's Lexington County Tennis Complex, Greenville's Thornblade Club, Sumter's Palmetto Tennis Center, Charlotte, Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla., are scheduled to join the local Family Circle Tennis Center club team in mixed doubles competition during the Family Circle Cup.

Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com. See his columns on pro tennis at ubitennis.com/english.