Australian Open: Sofia Kenin Defeats Garbiñe Muguruza for Her First Major Title

Kenin, an American in her first Grand Slam final, became the tournament’s youngest singles champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008. 

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. The youngest champion in Melbourne before Kenin was a 20-year-old Maria Sharapova.

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, her father and coach, said that while raising Sofia on courts in Florida he could sense her potential when she was “three and a half.”

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, 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.