Sofia Kenin followed up the upset win over Coco Gauff with another strong performance to win back-to-back matches on the Grand Slam level for the first time since 2021.
The last time Kenin won back-to-back matches on the Grand Slam level was back in 2021 at Roland Garros. After beating Gauff in round one and now Xinyu Wang in round two, the American finally got that monkey off her back.
It was another solid performance from the former Grand Slam champion who will be back in the top 100 on the WTA Tour after the 2023 Wimbledon. The opening set was a very close one as Wang managed to hang in there with some really solid play.
She didn't have too many aces but did have more winners than errors which is a good way to keep yourself in play. She actually outplayed Kenin in that regard as she had the same amount of winners but one mistake less. She didn't play the crucial rallies that well which is where Kenin was able to produce the advantage.
The second set was a bit easier for the American who once again outplayed her opponent from the baseline even if she wasn't hitting the ball as cleanly as she did against Gauff. She was being quite aggressive putting a lot of pressure on her opponent and that ultimately worked. The final score was 6-4 6-3 for Kenin as she continues to play solid tennis with 11 aces and 17 unforced errors.
The return from her injuries has been a slow and gruelling process but it seems like she's finally back to playing tennis the way she can. Confidence will be the most important thing for her and she should get it back with every win. According to the draw, Kenin will face either Mertens or Svitolina in the next round.
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