Rising American Kenin ready for bright lights of 1st Slam final
MELBOURNE, Australia — Sofia Kenin enjoys the bright lights and the big city, which is why she aspires to reside in Manhattan one day and perhaps explains why she is thriving on the Grand Slam stage right now.
“Maybe because of ‘Gossip Girl,’ ” the 21yearold American said of the decadeold TV series. “I love New York. I just love it there. Central Park. All of Fifth Avenue. All those shops. I’m a fancy girl. I like those shops, living the life.”
Kenin is at the center of it all at the Australian Open, where she will face twotime major champion and former No. 1 Garbiñe Muguruza in the final Saturday (12:30 a.m. PST). Muguruza beat another twotime major champ, Simona Halep, in the semifinals 76 (8), 75.
“I don’t want to be (on) defense against her. She can really put the ball away. She’s really aggressive,” said Kenin, who’s seeded 14th. “So I feel like it’s going to be who’s controlling the points more, who is dictating.”
This will be Kenin’s debut in a Slam title match; she hadn’t been past the fourth round until now.
But her gritty and varied style carried her past 15yearold starinthemaking Coco Gauff and topseeded 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 . ... Butterflies,” Kenin said. “I’m just going to also focus on what I need to do, focus on my game. I got here. It’s time to shine.”
She’s still just as precocious and selfbelieving as she was at age 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 champion Andy Roddick.
That sort of attitude was on display in her semifinal against Barty on Thursday, when Kenin twice was a point from losing the first set and then twice a point from losing the second before closing out the 76 (6), 75 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 Open champion. “She’s extremely confident at the moment as well.”
Kenin began 2019 ranked No. 52 and with zero tourlevel titles and finished it at No. 12 and with three singles trophies.
She says she thinks a thirdround victory over Serena Williams at Roland Garros in May helped propel that surge.
“They were cheering for
Serena. She’s my idol. Winning that match really was a lot of emotions. After that, I felt like it took off,” Kenin said. “Yeah, things just started falling into place for me.”
Kenin is coached by her father, Alexander, who moved the family from Russia to Florida after Kenin was born.
Muguruza is headed to her fourth Slam title match and is the only woman to beat each Williams sister at that stage, defeating Serena at the French Open in 2016 and Venus at Wimbledon in 2017.
“Doesn’t guarantee anything,” said Muguruza, whose shaky results over time dropped her out of the top 30 in the rankings, so she is unseeded. “At the end, the racket has to speak out there. Doesn’t matter how many Grand Slams you have.”