Sofia Kenin went all the way to her dream. The 21-year-old managed to make it to the Major final for the first time in her young career, winning the Australian Open on Saturday with a three-set victory over Garbine Muguruza. The American succeeds Naomi Osaka in Melbourne.
“This is my first speech, but I’m going to try my best. My dream has officially come true. Dreams come true. So if you have a dream, go for it, and it’s going to come true.” Kenin said.
Throughout the fortnight, and more particularly against Ashleigh Barty in the semi-finals (7-6 [6], 7-5), Kenin seemed impervious to pressure. Carelessness does not, however, replace experience, a fortiori in Major events.
From the outset, Muguruza thus tried to gain the upper hand over his young opponent, forced to fight on her face offs and quickly broke.
More solid in the long exchanges and always quick to conclude at the net, the former world number 1 however made a few scares on her service (4 double faults during the first set, including 2 in a row having led to a breakout) without consequence.
Perhaps feeling that she had little to lose, Kenin started playing more liberally, finding beautiful areas in the forehand and backhand (25 winning strokes in the second set).
After dropping three break points at 2-2, Muguruza fell apart. Overwhelmed and short of solution, the double winner in Major (Roland-Garros 2016, Wimbledon 2017) even offered the coronation to her rival on yet another double fault, occurring at the end of a game that lasted 2 hours and 3 minutes . The 15th world could not believe it, but it will have to get used to it.
This was Kenin’s first Grand Slam final and with this she will rise to a career high ranking of No.7. She is the youngest to win the title since Maria Sharapova in 2008.
