DC’s Robin Montgomery shakes off slow start and advances at DC Open

Montgomery won that match and the five matches that followed. She had a slow start and a 7-5, 6-3 first-round victory, advancing to the second round against fourth-seeded Ons Jabeur.

“It never feels good to be in your hometown,” said Montgomery, a Washington, D.C., native who graduated from Friendship Public Charter School and turned pro in 2019. “… At that point, I was like, ‘(Expletive) this; go for it. I really have nothing left to lose.’”

Montgomery, one of two local wild cards, made her debut in the DC Open main draw. She came in with an impressive resume, having won the 2021 US Open girls’ singles and doubles junior titles.

Jabeur, who defeated Montgomery in the second round at Wimbledon, said Saturday that the 19-year-old “has the game to be a top 10 player” — a sentiment shared by Aryna Sabalenka, the tournament’s top favorite. Montgomery took a set from Sabalenka in Madrid during this year’s clay-court season.

Monday’s match was a grind. Montgomery double-faulted six times in the first set, while Rogers started fast, delivering four aces. But as the match progressed, the left-hander found her rhythm, punctuating many of her points with a fist pump. Montgomery once said she approaches every match like a puzzle. Today’s answer?

“I’m just focused on myself, honestly. (Rogers) is a great player, I know that, but sometimes we start thinking too much about who our opponent is,” she said.

Rogers provided an impressive test. The 31-year-old has 307 career wins and is ranked No. 30 (in 2022). The announcer noted her achievements: she has won more than $5.5 million in her career and has been to four Grand Slam quarterfinals (two in singles and two in doubles).

“They went through her list of all the Grand Slams and I was like, ‘Shit,’” Montgomery said.

She forced herself to focus on her strokes again instead of her opponent’s accolades. The alumnus of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park is close to Frances Tiafoe, another JTCC alumnus and a player known for getting the crowd involved.

Montgomery once said Tiafoe encouraged her to celebrate after a win and be more emotional on the court. She remained mostly reserved during Monday’s game, but when she secured the win, she celebrated modestly by throwing her hands in the air.

“A lot,” she said when asked in an on-field interview how much the crowd helped. “… I’m glad I made it to the second round so they can all come back and watch.”

Several other Americans were in action Monday, including Ben Shelton, who received a first-round bye in singles but went on to face Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in doubles. They were defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara.

In the singles, Shelton, the world number 14, will face the winner of the match between Moldovan Radu Albot and Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta.

Some duos in the DC Open field are making history by wearing microphones during matches. Although he likes the idea, Shelton won’t be among them.

“I like my career,” he said, laughing. “I’m not saying I say crazy things on the field. I can be a wild card sometimes. I don’t say things out loud, but when the microphone is there, anything can happen. I’m going to keep those thoughts and secret statements to myself.”

The 21-year-old American skipped the Olympics and used the time to prepare for the US Open.

Shelton reached the fourth round at Wimbledon but lost his first match at his most recent tournament, the Atlanta Open. He said those results don’t add pressure to perform in D.C.

“Tennis is just one of those sports where you’re not going to have a perfect week every week,” he said. “… I guess you could say I give importance to every week that I play in the calendar.” …

On Monday night, two former US Open champions faced off: 2021 champion Emma Raducanu defeated eighth-seeded Elise Mertens 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; but Sloane Stephens, the 2017 winner at Flushing Meadow, lost to qualifier Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5.