By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, June 1, 2019
Twenty-year-old Sofia Kenin tore through seven straight games stunning Serena Williams, 6-2, 7-5, to roar into the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Sailing another forehand, Serena Williams kicked at the air in disgust like a woman admonishing a dance partner for stepping on her toes.
Choregraphing clever points, Sofia Kenin swept through seven straight games stunning Williams, 6-2, 7-5 to roar into the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time.
More: Siniakova Topples Osaka
It was a masterful performance of tactical acumen, bold-shotmaking and straight-up fierce desire from Kenin, who captured her first WTA title in Hobart in January and showed absolutely no fear of the iconic champion across the net.
"I think she played really well," said Williams, who withdrew or retired from her last three tournaments due to a cranky left knee injury. "I feel like she, in that first set in particular, she hit pretty much inches from the line, and I haven't played anyone like that in a long time. So, like, yeah, she actually played really well."
The 35th-ranked Kenin denied Williams' quest to win her 24th major title to equal Margaret Court's all-time record.
The 37-year-old Williams own an apartment in Paris; today Kenin showed the three-time champion the door and quieted a sometime combative pro-Serena crowd in the process.
"I knew I just had to show the crowd, like, Listen, Sonya Kenin is in the house. Yes," Kenin said afterward.
Hours after Katerina Siniakova knocked off world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 6-4, 6-2, on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Kenin denied six of seven break points and punished Williams' forehand wing, drawing more than 20 of her 34 unforced errors from the forehand.
"It was so much emotions," Kenin said. "Serena is such a tough player. Yeah, I'm still trying to process what just happened. I knew before the match, I was ready to go. I was there to win a match.
"Of course she's a true champion and an inspiration and she's done amazing things for American tennis. Yeah, I'm just really happy with this win. I played really well, and I'm just excited for my next match."
Within hours, the top quarter of the draw was shattered wide open. Siniakova will play 2018 semifinalist Madison Keys for a quarterfinal spot. Kenin moves on to meet Miami Open champion Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round.
The eighth-seeded Aussie swept aside Andrea Petkovic, 6-3, 6-1.
"I have played her twice," Kenin said of Barty. "She's a tough player, she's very crafty. It's not going to be an easy match. I'm just going to go out there and leave everything out, play my best game, and I think if I play well, good things can happen, and I believe in myself."
There was no shortage of self-belief today. An audacious Kenin battered Williams' forehand, befuddled her with droppers, beat her to the punch and bounced the 23-time Grand Slam champion out of Paris with ruthless precision.
She kept her emotions largely in check and quieted the pro-Serena crowd with the depth of her performance.
The depth of Kenin's returns drove Williams back behind the baseline. The crafty Kenin exploited that space mixing in timely drop shots to drag errors from Williams.
Kenin converted her fifth break point snatching the first break for 3-2. Williams' forehand failed her again as she slapped a running forehand into net to face another break point. Dancing near the baseline, Kenin cranked a crosscourt forehand winner wrong-footing Williams to break again for 5-2.
The ability to absorb power and play off that pace is a Kenin asset. Kenin bends low and uses her legs, a bit like Angelique Kerber, to repel pace and drive deep replies.
Showing spirited aggression serving for the set, Kenin crouched low banging a backhand crosscourt for a second set point. Sliding a serve down the T, Kenin closed a commanding 39-minute opening set swinging a roundhouse right hand in celebration.
The 20-year-old Kenin completely outplayed the 23-time Grand Slam champion in the opening set.
"I just think that the player I played today, she just played literally unbelievable," Williams said. "She really went out there today and did great."
Kenin repeatedly probed Williams' forehand wing—drawing replies that sometimes sailed long. Kenin hit six forehand winners compared to two for Williams, who tripled her opponent's unforced error output—15 to 5—sometimes slipping in off-balance swings.
Stepping inside the baseline and timing the ball beautifully, Kenin tore through a love break—her third consecutive break—to start the second set.
Adversity brought out the best in Kenin today. The Moscow-born Kenin, who is based in Pembroke Pines, Florida, fought back from a love-30 hole backing up the break with her seventh straight game.
On the hottest day of the tournament, Williams was struggling to read the direction of Kenin's compact two-handed backhand and getting beaten in crosscourt forehand exchanges. Williams mood soured when Kenin asked the chair umpire to check the mark on a ball the three-time champion signaled out.
Kicking away at the mark after the chair umpire confirmed her call, Williams rolled through a love hold for 1-2.
Tugging on her vanilla visor, the woman in red fought off three break points in the sixth game. Taking a second serve on the rise, Williams tomahawked a backhand that rattled out an error to break back for 3-all.
Trying to rouse herself —and perhaps engage the Chatrier crowd —Williams got a spark when Kenin briefly protested a Williams backhand that hit the sideline. Shaking her head after Kenin questioned her winner, Williams threw down three aces in the next four points in a declarative hold for 4-3.
How would Kenin handle the famed Serena stare-down and intensity at crunch time? Kenin conceded stress spiked during an andrenaline-rush of a finish.
"I definitely knew after the first set, you know, she's Serena for a reason and she's gonna come up with some amazing shots," Kenin said. "Yeah, I mean, I actually did feel like, okay, Serena is getting there, she's on a roll, and I knew I had to somehow stop it.
"Yeah, I did feel some stares there, but I tried not to overthink it and do what I needed to do and do what I do best."
Ripping a return winner Kenin broke for 6-5 then stepped up to serve for the biggest win of her young career.
Showing no trace of nerve, Kenin banged a backhand winner for a second match point. When Williams sent a backhand long, her 34th error of the day, Kenin tossed her blue Babolat racquet aside and grinned in joy at her father and coach, Alexander Kenin.