Kenin claims victory in first grand slam at age of just 21

Sofia Kenin played the “five best shots of my life” to become the newest young champion of women’s tennis.

The 21-year-old American, who had never previously been beyond the fourth round of a grand slam, defeated Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-2 6-2 to win the Australian Open.

Kenin is the youngest winner of the title since Maria Sharapova in 2008 and follows in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu, who have all won their first slam finals in brilliant fashion over the past 18 months.

She appeared on the verge of tears at various points during the deciding set, dropping her racket and covering her hands with her face in disbelief when Muguruza’s second serve landed long on match point.

“These past two weeks, there have been a lot of emotions,” she said later.

“You guys could see after the match how much it all meant.

“This is such an honour. I’m so proud of myself, my dad, my team, everyone that has been around me. We’ve all worked hard. We’ve been through tough times. We did it. We fought. I’m just on cloud nine.”

A child prodigy who had remained surprisingly under the radar despite beating Serena Williams at the French Open last year, Kenin has quickly built a reputation for intelligence and feistiness.

She appeared to relish being booed by the crowd during that victory over Williams in Paris, and greeted the biggest pressure moments in this match as if she was insulted by them.

The five points she played to hold serve from 0-40 at 2-2 in the deciding set were not just the key to the match but a demonstration of a very special talent and mentality.

“That’s the game I feel like changed things,” said Kenin. “I had to play my best tennis. I did. After that, I was on fire. I was ready to take the beautiful trophy.

“I knew I had to take my chance.”

Sofia Kenin pulled off a major shock with her singles title victory.