AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS

Rogowska finds her place at long last

AFTER 1462 days, Australian wildcard Olivia Rogowska is finally back on the winner’s list at Melbourne Park.

In a battle of broken service games, Rogowska, 26, yesterday outlasted compatriot Jaimee Fourlis, 18, to win through to the second round, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, for the first time since 2014.

The gritty performance was as much about belonging as it was victory for the 26-year-old.

“These last couple of months, I’ve been playing some good tennis and for the first time I feel like I belonged here,” Rogowska said.

“I’ve been playing with some top girls and matching up with them, I feel like I belong and it’s been good ... self-belief is there.

“In the past, I’ve gone ahead of myself a lot, thinking about the finish line, I’ve done that a lot.”

Rogowska credited practice sessions with grand slam winners Sam Stosur and Sloane Stephens for her return to form.

“I definitely feel like I belong now in the lockerrooms, it’s doesn’t intimidate me, practices with these top girls, they don’t intimidate me any more,” she said.

Rogowska praised teen sensation Fourlis’s intent.

“She played it really well, she had nothing to lose,” she said.

“I didn’t play great, but she played really well credit to her.

“She returned really well, she was hitting her forehand, I struggled to see where she was hitting the ball, it was patchy though, in the third set I got on top of her, tried to stay tough and it helped me.”

Rogowska will face-off against Ukraine qualifier Marta Kostyuk in the second round.

Rogowska