Dinara Safina (left) congratulated by Olivia Rogowska at the U.S. Open. (Photo: Reuters)

Olivia Rogowska, a relatively unknown Australian tennis player was close to making history on Tuesday.

Rogowska was close to witnessing her opponent Dinara Safira become the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open.

But Safina escaped humiliation and defeated the 167th-ranked Rogowska, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday after two hours 35 minutes of action.

If i would lose the match, I would lose myself, Safina said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon where reporters constantly asked her what crossed her mind after losing the first set.

Safina's coach Zeljko Krajan watched in disbelief from his seat, slumping, scowling and shaking his head, the Associated Press reported.

The earliest a top-seeded woman was ousted from the U.S. Open was in 2008 in the second round when Ana Ivanovi lost to Julie Coin, the agency reports.

Olivia Rogowska of Australia hits a return to Dinara Safina of Russia during their match at the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York, September 1, 2009. REUTERS/David Gray

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