Alkass Digital
No.14
seed Sofia Kenin soared to her first Grand Slam title, rallying from a set down
to defeat former World No.1 Garbiñe Muguruza, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win the
Australian Open - becoming the youngest American since Serena Williams in 2002
to capture a major crown.
"My
dream has officially come true," Kenin said during the trophy ceremony.
"If you have a dream, go for it, because it can come true."
At 21
years of age, Kenin shook off early jitters to play phenomenal tennis in the
biggest match of her young career, clinching the victory after two hours and
three minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Muguruza
was the more experienced player coming into the match, playing her fourth Grand
Slam final - though her first since winning Wimbledon in 2017 - and aiming to
be the first unseeded player to win the Australian Open since Serena Williams
in 2007. Starting the season with a return to former coach and 2020 Hall of Fame Inductee Conchita Martinez, the two-time
major champion pulled out of the Hobart International with a viral illness and
lost the first six games of the fortnight to Shelby Rogers in the first round.
Once she dug out of that she showed the form that has already taken her to two
major titles, upsetting the likes of Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens, and fellow former No.1 Simona Halep in a thrilling semifinal.
Where
Muguruza's Melbourne surge has been a return to form, Kenin (who goes by 'Sonya') has been on a steady rise since reaching the third round of the 2017 US Open, shocking Serena Williams' at last year's French Open and
winning her first three WTA titles on two different surfaces. Her run to the final was highlighted
by a decisive win over World No.1 Ashleigh Barty - her
second over the reigning Roland Garros champion in six months.
The
pair played just once before, with Kenin - fresh off a title run at the Guangzhou International Women's
Open - winning a China Open three-setter that was full of momentum shifts.