South Florida’s Kenin wins first WTA crown
Long-time Pembroke Pines resident Sofia “Sonya” Kenin won her first WTA title at the Hobart International on Saturday after beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4, 6-0.
Playing her first top-level singles final, the 20-yearold Kenin took the first set with a break before running away with the match in 71 minutes.
Kenin, ranked 56th, didn’t drop a set for the tournament and beat topseeded Caroline Garcia and former Hobart champion Alize Cornet in her run to the title, a lead-up to the Australian Open.
She joined fellow American Tennys Sandgren, who won his first ATP Tour singles title Saturday, beating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the ASB Classic across the Tasman Sea at Auckland, New Zealand, as a first-time tour winner.
Kenin saved eight break points early in the first set and found her groundstroke range as the match continued.
“I didn’t want to overthink it and I’m happy with the way I composed myself,” she said.
The win is expected to move her inside the top 40 for the first time.
Kenin, who got her start in junior tennis in Broward County under Rick Macci, won the Auckland doubles title with Eugenie Bouchard last week.
“I couldn’t ask for a better start,” Kenin said.
In Auckland, the 27-yearold Sandgren, ranked 63rd, was playing in his second tour final after being beaten by Steve Johnson at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in April.
Sandgren broke Norrie in his first service game — only the third time Norrie’s serve had been broken at the tournament — and held a narrow edge throughout the match, winning the tournament without dropping a set.
Elsewhere: Rafael
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Nadal said Andy Murray’s announcement that he may be forced to retire due to severe pain from his surgically repaired right hip “will be a very important loss for the world of tennis. ... But being honest, when somebody like him, that he achieved almost everything in his tennis career, is suffering like he’s doing for such a long time already … probably he does the right thing for his mental health.”
Murray practiced on Saturday at Melbourne
Park and plans to play in the Australian Open, but said this week it could be his final event.
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Olympics: A month
A ago, Tsunekazu Takeda was warmly applauded by 1,400 Olympic dignitaries as he spoke alongside International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in Tokyo. A month later, the powerful IOC member and head of the Japanese Olympic Committee is fighting a corruption investigation, suspected by French investigators of authorizing the payment of bribes to help land the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2013. Takeda denied any wrongdoing.
A distant relative of Japan’s royal family, Takeda could join a growing list of suspended IOC members linked to corruption probes. His case could potentially tarnish the Tokyo Olympics, which open in 18 months.
Golf: Matt Kuchar
A took a 1-shot lead over Andrew Putnam into Saturday’s third round of the Sony Open in Honolulu. Kuchar was coming off a 7-under 63 in the second round.
Kuchar was at 14-under 126, matching the lowest 36-hole score of his PGA Tour career. He also had a 126 in Las Vegas in 2008.
Soccer: Fifth-place
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Arsenal lost for the third time in six English Premier League matches after Declan Rice gave West Ham a 1-0 victory. After its unbeaten start was ended by Manchester City, Liverpool beat Brighton 1-0 through Mohamed Salah’s penalty. It put Liverpool seven points ahead of City ahead of the champion playing Wolves on Monday. …
Cristiano Ronaldo was among several regular players who didn’t start, though defending champion Juventus nevertheless eased into the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup with a 2-0 win at Bologna. He was brought after the hour mark with the match all but won. Coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday that Ronaldo was calm after being asked this week by police to provide a DNA sample in a rape investigation. Kathryn Mayorga alleges Ronaldo raped her in his Las Vegas hotel room in 2009 and paid her to keep quiet.
Valencia has conceded late in a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Val- ladolid in the Spanish league, adding pressure on embattled coach Marcelino. A well-placed free kick by Ruben Alcaraz in the 82nd minute cost Valencia the home victory after Dani Parejo opened the scoring.
College football: As
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Clemson celebrated its second national title in three seasons with a parade, All-American defensive lineman Christian Wilkins tossed doughnuts and showed off a victory cigar. Wilkins, who had a tearful outburst on national TV following the 44-16 rout of Alabama on Monday night, said he wanted to clear the air on that one.
“I’m not sorry I cried,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m such an ugly crier.”