Sofia Kenin captured her first Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne on Saturday, rallying from a set down to defeat two-time major champion and former world No. 1 Garbiñe Muguruza, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the Australian Open women's singles final.
Kenin's breakthrough run Down Under included a three-set win over 15-year-old American phenom Coco Gauff in the Round of 16 and a 7-6, 7-5 victory over world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals. At age 21, she is the youngest American woman to win a Grand Slam tournament since Serena Williams won three majors at the same age in 2002.
Here's more on the newly minted American No. 1, who moved up eight places in the rankings, from No. 15 to No. 7, to break into the Top 10 for the first time.
The Sofia Kenin File
Age: 21
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Residence: Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Current Rank: 7
Career-High Rank: 7 (Feb. 3, 2020)
Best US Open Finish: Third Round (2017-19)
The Baseline
- Kenin, whose nickname is "Sonya," defeated Muguruza in their only other meeting—a three-set, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 victory at the 2019 China Open. With her win over the Spaniard in Melbourne, Kenin became the new American No. 1. She sits two spots ahead of No. 9 Serena Williams and five places in front of No. 12 Madison Keys in the latest WTA Rankings.
- Kenin is coming off a career year in 2019, in which she won three singles titles (Hobart, Mallorca, Guangzhou), had a career-best Grand Slam performance (fourth round, French Open) and was named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year. Her third-round win over Serena at Roland Garros last year was the first time an American player defeated the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion at a major since Sloane Stephens beat her in the 2013 Australian Open quarterfinals.
- The 21-year-old had an impressive junior career, in which she won the 2014 Orange Bowl girls' 18s title at age 16, advanced to the 2015 US Open girls' final and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world in November 2015. She was also a member of the U.S. Junior Fed Cup team that swept Slovakia, 3-0, for the 2015 title.
- Kenin, who is coached by her father Alexander, was born in Moscow and moved to the U.S. with her family shortly after her birth. She now resides in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
- Next up for Kenin: She will represent the U.S., along with Williams, Gauff, Alison Riske and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, in the Fed Cup Qualifiers, Feb. 7-8, in Everett, Wash. The winning team will advance to the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest, Hungary, in April.
They Said It!
"These past two weeks, there have been a lot of emotions. You guys could see after the match how much it all meant to me. This is such an honor. 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 like on cloud nine." — Sofia Kenin, in her post-match press conference after winning the Australian Open title
