MELBOURNE – American Shelby Rogers' long, slow climb up the rankings is gaining momentum, and she's into the third round at the Australian Open for the first time.
The 28-year-old Rogers advanced Thursday by beating Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3. Rogers hit seven aces and lost only three points on her first serve.
She came into the tournament with a career record of 1-4 in Melbourne, but like her ranking, her fortunes have been on the rise of late.
She reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open for the first time last September, and her year-end ranking was a career-best No.