MELBOURNE, Australia — Sofia Kenin became the youngest Australian Open champion in 12 years on Saturday, beating Garbiñe Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to claim her first Grand Slam title.
Kenin’s victory, in her first major final, represents a growing youth takeover in women’s tennis. At 21 years and 80 days of age, Kenin is 22 days younger than Naomi Osaka was when she won the title last year. In the previous Grand Slam tournament, the United States Open in September, the champion was the 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu. Kenin’s victory also follows the 2008 victory of Maria Sharapova, who was 20 when she won.
Kenin turned the match in her favor in a pivotal fifth game in the final set. Serving at 2-2, Kenin fell behind 0-40. She then hit five straight winners to steal back the game with bold, yet controlled play, including four groundstroke winners that ended long rallies.
Though both Kenin and Muguruza prefer to dictate rallies, Kenin proved the more comfortable counterpuncher and was the better player during their many long exchanges. Kenin won 23 of 34 points that lasted nine shots or longer.
After Kenin fought back to go up 3-2, Muguruza crumbled. She double faulted on a break point in the next game, then hit three double faults in her next service game. Her final double fault ended the match.
Kenin dropped her racket in disbelief, and covered her face with both hands. After embracing Muguruza, who had walked around the net to greet her, Kenin ran over to celebrate with her coach and father, Alex.
Following in Sharapova’s footsteps seems fitting, as Kenin’s path in the sport has been similar. Her parents first moved to the United States from Russia in 1987, but traveled back to Moscow for Sofia’s birth so they could have the support of their extended family.
The Kenins returned to the United States soon after, and tennis quickly became a part of Sofia’s upbringing. Alex Kenin said that while raising Sofia on courts in Florida he could sense her potential when she was “three and a half.”
But unlike Sharapova, who also honed her game at a Florida tennis academy, Kenin has always represented the United States. On Monday, Kenin will become the top-ranked American woman in the world rankings, passing Serena Williams and reaching No. 7. She will be the youngest American woman to debut in the top 10 since Williams in 1999.
Kenin defeated Williams in the third round of the French Open last year, a victory that she said helped build her confidence. “I feel like, after that, things just took off,” Kenin said this week.
Kenin racked up three WTA titles last year, but at minor stops on the tour: Hobart, Australia; Majorca, Spain; and Guangzhou, China. She had never advanced past the fourth round of a Grand Slam event before this tournament, when she did so by beating a more highly rated young American, the 15-year-old Coco Gauff.
Kenin’s championship comes at a time when no woman has been able to consistently dominate, leading to variety in the late rounds of Grand Slam tournaments. Saturday’s matchup between Muguruza and Kenin was the fourth consecutive women’s Grand Slam final without a top-five player. Kenin is the eighth first-time champion in the last 12 women’s Grand Slam events.
Kenin, seeded 14th, did not face any seeded opposition at this tournament until the semifinals, when she saved four set points to defeat top-seeded Ashleigh Barty, 7-6 (6), 7-5, deflating the hopes of Australians who had banked on Barty’s becoming the country’s first homegrown singles champion since 1978.
Source: Tennis - nytimes.com
