Ashleigh Barty after 3R loss to Shelby Rogers: "Sometimes you don't mind losing to certain people, and Shelby's certainly one of those"

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty suffered an agonizing defeat at the US Open on Saturday, falling to Shelby Rogers in the third round despite twice serving for the match.

Barty raced to a 5-2 lead in the deciding set, but a slew of unforced errors allowed the American to get one of those breaks back.

Rogers then held serve before unleashing a magnificent counterattack when Barty served for the match for the second time at 5-4. The Australian produced some impressive first serves, but the American was up to the task and managed to level proceedings at 5-5.

Barty's normally lethal forehand deserted her once again at 5-5 in the tiebreak, handing the 28-year-old American a match point, which she converted.

After the defeat, Barty claimed she had no qualms losing to a person as genuinely respectful as Shelby Rogers.

"Yeah, there are certain people on the tour that I think no matter the result you know you're always going to get a genuine handshake, a smile, you're going to get that genuine respect," Ashleigh Barty said during her post-match press conference. "For me Shelby has always been one of those people."

Barty revealed that Rogers is one of the players she respects the most on tour.

"She's one that I respect, one of the most that I respect on tour, and she's an incredible person," she added.

From 2-5 to 5-5, @shelby_rogers_ has the crowd on Ashe going crazy! pic.twitter.com/63hulYqakq

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2021

The Aussie hailed Rogers for showing incredible determination throughout the match and went on to highlight that both players enjoyed the hard-fought contest.

"Tonight she showed a lot of fight," she added. "I could see she was enjoying herself. I think that's the most important thing for both of us, we had a lot of fun out there. I know regardless of the result, it never changes our relationship, and that's really special when you've got someone who is just a class act off and on the court."

Barty admitted it "sucks" that there has to be a winner and loser in every tennis match, but asserted that Shelby Rogers was one of the players she didn't mind losing to.

"It sucks in tennis that there's a winner and loser every single day, but sometimes you don't mind losing to certain people," Barty said. "I think Shelby in a sense of her personality and her character, she's certainly one of those for me."

Believe it, Shelby!Shelby Rogers upsets No. 1 Ash Barty in a thrilling comeback in Ashe! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/bPkjsAfNlO

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2021

The two-time Slam champion was then asked to elaborate on the most disappointing aspects of the match. Barty acknowledged that there was a "lot" she was disappointed by, but in the same breath, insisted she would not dwell on the defeat for too long.

"There's a lot tonight that's disappointing, but a lot that's positive," Ashleigh Barty said. "Not a match that I'll dwell on for too long in the sense that there are so many "what ifs." Millimeters could have changed things tonight. You accept that in tennis. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes and you move on it from it pretty quick."

"It's pretty slow and dead out there on Ashe at night" - Ashleigh Barty on the playing conditions

Ashleigh Barty applauds the crowd as she leaves Arthur Ashe

During her press conference, Ashleigh Barty claimed that the conditions at the Arthur Ashe Stadium were quite "slow and dead" during the night. Since it was her first time playing in the night session on that court, Barty claimed it took her longer than Rogers to adjust to the conditions.

"Yeah, it's pretty slow and dead out there on Ashe at night," Barty said. "It was my first experience kind of playing at night there. It does make a pretty dramatic difference. Credit to Shelby. She was able to adjust to those conditions a lot quicker than I did."

Barty was handed a beatdown by the American in the opening set as she struggled to get accustomed to the conditions. The top-ranked Australian made things easy for Rogers by committing 17 unforced errors.

Barty admitted that her level was "pretty awful" in the first set.

"I played a pretty awful first set in the sense where I was erratic," Barty added. "I couldn't quite find the rhythm of how I wanted to play."