By Richard Pagliaro
Sofia Kenin's inspired Roland Garros run came to an end at the hands of red-hot Iga Swiatek.
The 19-year-old Swiatek soared through the final six straight games sweeping Kenin 6-4, 6-1 to win the French Open and make history as the first Polish player—male or female—to claim a Grand Slam singles championship.
More: Swiatek Steamrolls to RG Title
The fourth-seeded Kenin left the court down 1-2 in the second to have her left leg taped. She did not win another game after the medical timeout and said the leg injury limited her movement.
"I'm not going to use this as an excuse, but my leg obviously was not the best," Kenin said. "It's obviously disappointing... I mean, I've had it for like a few of my matches. I've had to tape. I saw the physio and everything, so I was doing everything I can.
"Today obviously after the first set I just felt it was so tight, I couldn't move. That's why I had to call the trainer. It just got worse. Yeah, it's quite unfortunate it had to happen in this match.
"Like I said, she played really well. All credit to her."
Despite the defeat, Kenin showed strong resilience rebounding from a humiliating double-bagel loss to sometime doubles partner Victoria Azarenka in Rome last month to contest her second Grand Slam final of the season.
The Australian Open champion will rise to a career-high No. 4. After some rest and shopping, Kenin says she plans to resume training for 2021.
"Obviously I'm playing some really good tennis at the slams," Kenin said. "In Australia I won. US Open I got to the fourth round. Had a tough one against Elise Mertens. Here getting to the finals. Overall it's a good ratio in the Grand Slams.
"I feel like I'm playing some really good tennis. Yeah, it sucks the season is over for us. I really wish there were more tournaments. I'm going to use this time to get my leg rested and everything, and, yeah, start pre-season."
Photo credit: Roland Garros Facebook