American surprise
Will play in first Grand Slam final vs. Muguruza
Sofia Kenin enjoying unexpected run to Australian Open final.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Sofia Kenin enjoys the bright lights and the big city, whichis why she aspires to reside in Manhattan one day and perhaps explains why she is thriving on the Grand Slam stageright now.
“Maybe because of ‘Gossip Girl.’ ... I love New York. I just love it there,” the 21-year-old American said. “Central Park. All of Fifth Avenue. All those shops. I’m a fancy girl. I like those shops, living the life.”
Kenin certainly is at the center of it all at the Australian Open, where she will face two-timemajorchampionand former No. 1 Garbine Muguruza early Saturday in the women’sfinal .
“I don’t want to be [on] defense against her. She can reallyput the ball away. She’s really aggressive,” Kenin said. “So I feel like it’s going to be who’s controlling the points more, who is dictating. Of course, defense is obviously goingto help.”
This will be the 14th-seeded Kenin’s debut in a Slam title match; she never had been past the fourth round until now.
But her gritty and varied style carried her past 15-yearold star-in-the-making Coco Gauff and top-seeded Ash Barty in Week 2 at Melbourne Park.
“You don’t experience this so often. Of course, I’m going to enjoy it. This is so exciting. Literally, butterflies,” said Kenin, whose words tumble out of her mouth as speedily as her legs carry her around a court. “I’m just going to also focus on what I need to do, focuson my game. I got here. It’s
timeto shine.”
She’sstill just as precocious and self-believing as she was atage 7, when she told a TV interviewer in a video clip making the rounds on social media that she could return a serve from 2003 U.S. Open championAndy Roddick.
That sort of attitude was on display in her semifinal against Barty, when Kenin twice was a point from losing the first set and then twice a point from losing the second before closing a the 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory.
“She has the ability to adapt. She has the ability to try different things, control the center of the court,” said Barty, the reigning French Openchampion.
“She’s extremely confident at the moment, as well,” Barty said.
Kenin began 2019 ranked No. 52 and with zero tour-level titles and finished it at No. 12 and with three singles trophies.
She says she thinks the biggest win of her career until now helped propel that surge — a third-round victory over Serena Williams at Roland Garrosin May 2019.
“They were cheering for Serena. She’s my idol. Winning that match really was a lot of emotions. After that, I feltlike it took off,” Kenin said. “Yeah, things just started fallinginto place for me.”
Give Roger Federer credit for always showing up and always staying until the end, no matter how sick or hurt he mightbe.
No, he did not beat Novak Djokovic in the Australian Opensemifinals.
As it was, Federer was able to make a match of it for only about one set and about one hour before succumbing to the defending champion, 7-6 (1),6-4, 6-3.
He was dealing with a painful groin muscle that cropped up in a five-setter in the previous round. It limited the movement of a guy who is 38 to begin with, kept him off the practice court and led him to take a medical timeout in his quarterfinal and another after thefirst set against Djokovic.
“[It] was horrible, to go through what I did. Nice entrance. Nice send-off. And in between is one to forget, because you know you have a 3% chance to win,” Federer said. “Got to go for it. You neverknow. ... ”
Still, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was out there untilit was over.
Federer, after all, never skips a Grand Slam match altogether and never leaves early, no matter what. He has played 1,513 tour-level matches and not retired midwaythrough one. Not once.