Sofia Kenin has not found her rhythm in recent years and has left the elite of world tennis. At the Linz tournament, the 2020 Australian Open champion was eliminated after the first round.

Sofia Kenin was defeated by Jules Niemeyer at the WTA in Linz

Kenin, who is ranked 209 in the WTA rankings, lost to the player from Germany after two hours and 14 minutes of play with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In the 1/8 finals of the competition, Jules Niemeyer will meet the winner of the matches between Anastasia Potapova (44 WTA) and Lucia Bronzetti (66 WTA).

The 2023 Linz Open (WTA Linz) will be held from February 6 to 12 on indoor hard and is part of the WTA 250 category with a total prize pool of US$259,303. Titled tournament champion (2021) – Alison Riske.

Sofia Kenin – From the idol of Maria Sharapova to the release of her father

After winning the Australian Open 2020, the American was seen as one of Ashley Barty’s rivals and athletes at the top of the WTA hierarchy.

In the same year (2020), Sofia also reached the Roland Garros final, and from that point on, Kenin’s career went downhill (that season ended with 24 wins and 9 losses).

2022 was a disastrous year for Kenin, who won only 4 matches and lost 13 times.

Sofia’s family history is very interesting: her parents moved from Moscow to New York many years before Sofia was born.

The athlete was born in the Russian capital, and a few months later the family returned to the United States.

Sofia started playing tennis at the Nick Bollettieri Academy, and her big idol was Maria Sharapova.

In the most important moments of her career (Australian Open 2020 and Roland Garros final of the same year), Sofia was prepared by her father. He was released in May 2021.