Defending champion shakes off slow start
Sure, Sofia Kenin struggled in her first match as a defending champion at a Grand Slam tournament.
The 22-year-old from Florida struggled with jitters at the Australian Open. Struggled with her shots. Struggled against an opponent who’s never won a tour-level match.
Kenin, though, knows all that really matters: Who can claim the final point. And, eventually, she managed to do just that Tuesday (Australia time) at Melbourne Park, setting aside an early deficit and beating 133rd-ranked Australian wild-card entry Maddison Inglis 7-5, 6-4.
“I’m obviously not too happy with the way I played,” Kenin said with a chuckle, “but a win is a win.”
Inglis is still searching for one: She fell to 0-6 for her career.
Still, boosted by a crowd of locals at Rod Laver Arena, she did not make things easy on Kenin, who nevertheless managed to avoid becoming the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2003 to lose in the first round at the Australian Open a year after
winning the championship.
“First round, it’s obviously nerves for me,” said Kenin, who followed up her first major title last year by reaching the final at the French Open.
The woman Kenin defeated for the title in last year’s final in Melbourne, Garbiñe Muguruza, also advanced to the second round, defeating Margarita Gasparyan of Russia 6-4, 6-0.
The two-time Grand Slam champion lost only 11 points in the second set.
• Former champion Victoria Azarenka was dumped out in the first round after a 7-5, 6-4 defeat by Jessica Pegula. Azarenka, the 12th seed, who
won her two Grand Slam titles in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, raced to a 5-2 lead in the first set.
However, things quickly fell apart as American Pegula, the world number 61, took the next five games to seal the set. Azarenka’s troubles continued in the second set and she took a medical timeout while trailing 4-2 after appearing to have trouble breathing.
She returned to hold serve and followed that up with a break to draw level at 4-4, but Pegula broke straight back before serving out the match, sealing victory with an ace.
• Ann Li’s off to quite a start to 2021, moving into the second round with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over No. 31 seed Zhang Shuai. Li is a 20-year-old American who is ranked 69th and competing in only her third career Grand Slam tournament. She needed just 47 minutes to win and improve to 5-0 this season.
Li is coming off an unusual accomplishment at a tuneup tournament at Melbourne Park last week: She shared the title of the Grampians Trophy with Anett Kontaveit because organizers decided not to hold a final so as not to wear out the players right before the Australian Open.
• Novak Djokovic extended his streak of straight-set wins over Jeremy Chardy to 14 matches as he opened his Australian Open title defense with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
• Gael Monfils’ eyes filled with his tears as he spoke to reporters after his seventh consecutive tour-level loss — and the first time he’s exited the Australian Open in his opening match in 15 years. The 10thseeded Frenchman hasn’t won in a year since his last victory. The latest setback for Monfils came on Day 1 at Melbourne Park, beaten by 86th-ranked Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.