By Erik Gudris | @ATNTennis | Saturday, June 5, 2021
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Roland Garros finalist, battled past fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to secure a place in the second week.
Photo credit: Roland Garros Facebook
Sofia Kenin is finding her way in Paris after a tough start to the season that included both on and off-court woes for the feisty American star.
The No. 4 seed Kenin, last year’s Roland-Garros finalist, battled past fellow American No. 28 seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.
The almost two-hour match featured plenty of big hitting and deft touch from both players. And also plenty of frustrated outbursts from the always demonstrative Kenin.
After the match, Kenin talked about she knew it would be a tough third round encounter.
The almost two-hour match featured plenty of big hitting and deft touch from both players. And also plenty of frustrated outbursts from the always demonstrative Kenin.
After Kenin and Pegula split the first two sets, the final set proved razor close. Both players traded early service breaks, before Kenin earned a key service hold for 3-1. Despite pressure from Pegula, Kenin held strong from the baseline and eventually served out the three set win.
Kenin is still the highest seeded player left in the women’s draw after Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal, and the early exits of top seed Ash Barty and No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka.
The 22-year-old Kenin burst into tennis stardom in 2020 after her surprise Australian Open title. She backed that up later in the year by reaching the Roland-Garros finals, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
2021 was not as fruitful for Kenin, both on and off the court. Kenin lost in the second round of Melbourne back in February and then struggled to find wins for most of the spring. That included no wins on the red clay before Paris.
Adding to all that, Kenin announced that she would no longer be coached by her father Alex Kenin. Though it was a tough decision, many in the tennis world felt it was the right move for Kenin to find some independence on her terms.
“Obviously it was a difficult decision,” Kenin said about the split. “It wasn't easy. I give him credit to everything that he's done. We have had great success together. As I said, it was a difficult decision, but I felt that—you know, we both kind of agreed that it was time to part ways.
"So far it's going good. Yeah, I mean, it's obviously not easy, but I feel like this was the right decision for me and I'm excited to see what's gonna happen next.”
Kenin will next face either Elise Mertens or Maria Sakkari.