Sofia Kenin is floating on an untouchable cloud after beating Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets to win the 2020 Australian Open, becoming the eighth first-time winner in the past dozen grand slam finals.

Kenin, the 21-year-old daughter of Russian emigres who arrived in the United States with little but hope and two children, not only is she the youngest American to win a major since Serena Williams 18 years ago, but the youngest Melbourne champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008.

There were brief moments early in her 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in Rod Laver Arena on Saturday evening – witnessed by, among many celebrities, the man himself and Margaret Court, the finest Australian player in the history of the game – when Kenin looked as if she might find the occasion too much for her.

Those who know her well talk of a quiet, shy player but, on court, she has the stamp of a champion, sure of her ability and able to fight her way out of tight corners, which she has had to do several times in the final stages of the tournament, as the matches became tougher.

“This is my first speech, but I’m going to try my best,” she said before going into a blizzard of thank yous that took in everyone from her opponent, “you guys in the crowd”, her team and her parents . “My dream officially came true. I am so emotional. I have worked so hard. These have been the best two weeks of my life.”

Kenin, who moves up to No7 in the world and No1 in her own country, is on the map now, joining a string of prodigies that have begun to make their presence felt at the highest level in recent months and years, as Williams wanes and more experienced players fight to fill the vacuum. The other players to win a slam at the first attempt since 2017 are Jelena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu. All but Wozniacki, who has retired at 29, have the potential to win radically change the landscape of the women’s game.

Muguruza, unseeded and recovering from a virus, beat two top 10 players on the way to the final to confirm the pedigree that had already won her the French Open and Wimbledon, but Kenin showed her respect only in the sense of treating each ball as if it needed to be destroyed.

“You’re going to win more finals, for sure,” the Spaniard told her conqueror in her on-court remarks.

When Muguruza broke early, it seemed Kenin might fold under the pressure such an experienced and fierce competitor can bring to the big occasion. But the American displayed the same tenacity as in her win over the world No1, Barty, in the semi-finals, hunting down one lost cause after another.

Her weapons aren’t big but they are reliable. Nevertheless, despite taking the Spaniard to deuce in the sixth game, Kenin could not stop her getting to 4-2 after only half an hour with a solid back-hand volley.

Muguruza served for the set after 47 minutes. With two set points in her pocket, she wobbled, refusing a volley and making a mess of her tentative forehand from the middle of the court. She was relieved when Kenin went unnecessarily hard at a big winner and found the tramlines.

If Kenin is the game’s Rock of Gibraltar, Muguruza is its Kilimanjaro: daunting but beatable. It took the Spaniard five days to conquer the fabled mountain in November, but her final her was turned upside down in 20 minutes, as Kenin took advantage of her noticeably poor movement and weakened serve to breeze to a 4-1 lead. Serving to stay in the set, Muguruza handed Kenin another set point, and she took it to level at one apiece. The fightback was officially up and running.

Muguruza, who has had to fight hard to get to the final, looked to be paying the price for that struggle. The physio came during the intervalon to check some stiffness in her left hip, but did not treat her. If her problem was more psychosomatic than physical, she was in trouble, continuing to wreck good work in long rallies with careless ground strokes.

She went missing for extended stretches in her semi-final against Simona Halep, yet managed to regroup each time. And so it proved in the third set, as both players raised their level, very few points given up cheaply.

Then, following a big serve wide to the net at deuce, Muguruza dollied an easy shot long and double-faulted to go 2-4 down.

With ball in hand, and her head dipping towards the ground in that idiosyncratic way of hers just before her ball-toss, Kenin had the title on her racket. Hitting fiercely and screaming like a banshee, she willed herself to within a game of victory.

Muguruza stepped up to try to repair the damage at 2-5, as the match neared two hours. She found an eighth ace for 30-0, down the T, but Kenin replied to her second serve with a wicked, unreachable backhand. She replied with another ace – then double-faulted twice for deuce. Another serve floated wide, and Kenin cashed in when the second effort dropped mid-court.

The American hit long on championship point, kissed the line to get another shot at glory – and Muguruza saved her the chore of winning it outright with her third double fault of the game, eighth of the match. It was a curious end to an absorbing final.

Source: theguardian.com

Tags: Australian Open,Garbiñe Muguruza Sofia Kenin