Sofia Kenin’s tumble down the rankings in recent years therefore played to her benefit Monday, in a roundabout way, as she stunned seventh-seeded Coco Gauff, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in an all-American first-round thriller at Wimbledon.
If you happen to have a Grand Slam title on your résumé, as well? Could be a tough day for the person across the net.
It was Kenin’s first win at a Grand Slam tournament in two years. She captured the Australian Open title in 2020 but has since dropped so far down that she needed to play her way through the qualifying tournament to earn a spot in Wimbledon’s main draw. The extra matches served her well — Kenin, 24, was more patient Monday. Gauff played a riskier game, lunging for bigger shots that earned her 33 winners to Kenin’s 22 but caused her 33 unforced errors to Kenin’s 18.
Kenin and Gauff have played just twice before, en route to Kenin’s major championship title and earlier this year in Auckland. The elder American put that experience to use. Kenin picked on Gauff’s forehand, moving her around court, and focused on her return game, drilling Gauff’s high-octane serve with matching ferocity.
But those three extra matches — what they represented, not just the practice they provided — might have been her best weapon. To play a qualifying tournament three years after winning a Grand Slam is a humbling thing.“It gives me a boost to try to prove [people] wrong,” Kenin said. “Of course, when I was higher ranked and everything, people looked at me like I should win. I try to use that as, like, a way of — I knew she’d be a bit more nervous because more pressure’s on her than me.
Gauff now must move past the disappointment of the loss, just her third in the first round in 16 Grand Slam appearances, before beginning her doubles quest alongside Jessica Pegula. The women’s doubles tournament begins Wednesday.
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