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Sofia Kenin
Sofia Kenin is an American professional tennis player who has competed on the WTA Tour since 2017 and is one of the players who has won a Grand Slam in her career.
Sofia Kenin was born in Moscow to Alexander and Svetlana Kenin, but they moved to the United States just a few months after her birth. She began playing tennis at the age of five after being inspired by her father, who played recreationally.
Kenin quickly gained widespread attention for her immense talent as a child. For instance, she was on the covers of tennis magazines and became the No. 1 ranked player in the USTA National rankings for each of the 12, 14, 16, and 18-under divisions.
The American then had a successful junior career, where she reached a high of No. 2 in the rankings. Highlights from her time as a junior are winning the Junior Fed Cup and being the runner-up at the Junior US Open.
Having previously been given US Open wildcards in 2015 and 2016, Kenin made her mark on the professional tour with a third-round run in New York in 2017. A year of progress followed in 2018, with Kenin finishing the year just outside the Top 50 and winning the Billie Jean King Cup.
2019 was when the American began to have a lot of success. Kenin won three WTA titles, reached a maiden Grand Slam fourth round at Wimbledon and also made two WTA 1000 semifinals in Toronto and Cincinnati. However, the historic moment in Kenin’s career came in 2020.
She won the Australian Open after an incredible run that included victories against home favourite and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinal and Garbine Muguruza in the final. Kenin followed that triumph with more success at the 2020 French Open. She reached her second Grand Slam final, but was defeated by Iga Swiatek, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam title.
The next two years proved to be much more challenging for Kenin. After making a slow start to 2021, she also suffered a couple of injury issues. Kenin also briefly parted ways with her father, who is her primary coach, but that decision was reversed in November 2021.
Further bad form and injury setbacks blighted Kenin for the next 18 months, and she ended up not even qualifying for the French Open. Things looked bleak at that stage for the American. Kenin then had a resurgence in the second half of 2023.
She defeated her compatriot Coco Gauff at Wimbledon, which seemed to be the catalyst for her improved form and confidence. The rest of 2023 saw Kenin reach a first final in three years at the San Diego Open, which she narrowly lost to Barbora Krejcikova, and also make the semifinal at the Guadalajara Open. Kenin’s efforts saw her finish 2023 inside the Top 50.
