Championship Week
Rogers and McPhillips Claim Gold in San Diego
by Rhiannon Potkey, 19 August 2010
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Shelby Rogers and Nicole Gibbs slumped into their chairs as tears streamed down their faces.
After the intense battle they had just waged on the court, both were physically and emotionally drained.
The marathon match that lasted 3 hours and 32 minutes even had officials and spectators shaking their heads at the high quality of play.
In the end, the third-seeded Rogers of Daniel Island, S.C., outlasted No. 4 Gibbs of Santa Monica, Calif., 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4) to capture the USTA Girls' 18 National Championships.
It was a fitting conclusion to a thrilling debut of the Girls' 18s event at the Barnes Tennis Center.
For the first time in history, the USTA Girls 18s and Girls 16s events were played on the same dates at the same site.
Top-seeded Kyle McPhillips of Willoughby, Ohio, captured the Girls' 16s singles title with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over No. 7 Spencer Liang of Potomac, Md.
Along with their coveted gold balls, Rogers and McPhillips were awarded wild cards into the U.S. Open - Rogers into the main draw of the women's event and McPhillips into the main draw of the junior event.
"It feels great. There are no words really," Rogers said. "I mean (the wild card) is the only reason I played this tournament, and just coming here with a goal and actually reaching it, it's like all the hard work has finally paid off."
