Sofia Kenin played a main draw match at the 2024 Eastbourne International, but she lost to native player Harriet Dart after a three-set battle.
Kenin wasn't even supposed to be in the main draw of the WTA 500 competition in Eastbourne, as the American lost in the qualifiers. In fact, she lost her second-round qualifying match in only 50 minutes, but thanks to Elena Rybakina's withdrawal, she entered the draw as a lucky loser and occupied the spot of the number one seed.
That meant she had a first-round bye, so her event started in the second round against Dart, who had to play a first-round match in which she outplayed Marie Bouzkova from the Czech Republic.
The second-round match between Kenin and Dart was a fair battle, one that lasted more than 150 minutes, but only one player emerged victorious. The American's season so far has been quite bad, and that didn't change on the grass.
Dart is a tricky opponent to beat on the grass and native soil because she never gives up. The Brit won the opening set because she was better in crucial rallies, especially on break points.
She converted hers while not allowing Kenin too much on her own serve, winning the first set 6-3. The second set was a huge battle. Kenin was up a few times but lost the lead every time.
She was able to force a tie-break, which was hugely competitive as well, but the former Australian Open winner took it 7-3. That sent the match into a decider, which promised to be very entreating but ultimately wasn't.
An early break by Dart basically cut any momentum Kenin had, and when the Brit added another break, she iced the match. Kenin dropped her serve again to suffer another bagel in Eastbourne, as Dart won the match 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.