By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday July 3, 2023
Sofia Kenin, ranked 128, toppled seventh-seeded Coco Gauff for her first win at a Slam in two years.
Photo Source: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Sofia Kenin flashed vintage form, snapped a two-year drought at the Grand Slams, and sent No.7-seeded Coco Gauff packing all in one fell swoop on Monday at Wimbledon, the No.128-ranked American cycling through the high gears to notch a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph on No.1 Court.
The victory marks Kenin’s first main draw win at a major since Wimbledon 2021, and her first Top 10 victory at a major since she defeated Ash Barty in the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2022.
Kenin would go on to win her maiden major title at the Australian Open, but she has since fallen prey to injuries and saw her ranking plummet. She was outside the Top 400 last summer after ankle and foot injuries took away her upward thrust, but nearly a year later she is clearly finding her form again.
“Obviously, it’s simple, I’ll get to the point, my ranking kind of dropped,” she said. “But I obviously trust my game, I trust that I’ve been putting in the hard work, I feel like this year has been really good overall – I’m trusting the process and I believe that I’m definitely capable of getting up there.”
Kenin, who qualified to take her place in the main draw, and Gauff engaged in a high quality tussle, with plenty of footage for the highlight reel.
The 24-year-old former World No.4 stormed Gauff in the opening set but was met with resistance in the second as Gauff hit back to force a third.
In the decider Kenin was poised and proactive as she saved all three break points and diced up Gauff’s suspect forehand to dial up the upset.
“I knew that was a tactic for me, but she started picking up good shots, hitting the lines,” Kenin said, “so I was like ‘OK, I may have to switch my tactics, hit to the backhand to not let her be too comfortable with the forehand,’ but then I knew: at crucial moments, got to the forehand – I don’t want to hit to the backhand at crucial points.”
A disappointed Gauff, who was the highest seed to fall on Day 1, vowed to improve.
“I knew it was going to be a tough first round for me,” said Gauff. “I tried my best, but it wasn't enough. I think I have a lot to work on if I want to improve from this.”
Gauff has struggled with that wing for a while now, and hasn’t made any drastic changes. Against many players she can cover up the weakness with her stellar backhand and fleet footwork, but today it was not the case.
The 19-year-old finished with 33 errors and 33 unforced errors on the day.
Meanwhile, Kenin relished her biggest victory in a long while, as she looks ahead to a second-round clash with China’s Wang Xinyu.
“Obviously it’s not always ups, so I had to go through some downs,” she said. “It’s a matter of getting yourself back up there, trusting the process, putting in the hard work.”