NEW YORK, NY, USA - Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin continued her quest for her second Grand Slam of the year with a confident victory over Leylah Fernandez in the second round of the US Open.
The No.2 seed needed an hour and 22 minutes to maneuver past the Canadian youngster, 6-4, 6-3, and didn’t face a break point in either of the closely-contested sets.
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Kenin was quick put last week’s opening round loss behind her, after falling in the Western & Southern Open to Alize Cornet in straight sets.. Before the tour’s five-month layoff, World No.4 Kenin was having the best season of her career having captured two titles: her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, backing it up with a win in Lyon.
Back on Kenin’s favored North American hardcourts, the American produced her best performance of the tour’s restart as she fired 19 winners and three aces against Fernandez, breaking the Canadian teenager twice en route to a straight sets victory.
Kenin’s movement around the court kept her in control of the rallies against Fernandez, who was making her US Open debut this year. The 17-year-old sits at a career high World No.104 after a breakout run in Mexico that saw her reach her first WTA final in Acapulco and a quarterfinal in Monterrey. Lefty Fernandez’s crafty game kept Kenin on her toes, mixing up her game with variety and ability to change the direction of the ball on a dime.
But Kenin honed in on Fernandez’s vulnerable second serves, winning 17 of the 24 points off the Canadian’s second delivery. Kenin converted the only break point on offer in the tight opening set, breaking through at 2-1 as the next seven games went to the server, 6-3.
Kenin broke again at 2-1 in the second set, staying in control of the rallies with aggressive returning against Fernandez. The young Canadian did well to keep pace with the No.4 seed, but she couldn’t manage to apply the pressure on the Kenin serve. Fernandez faced break points in each of her next service games, before a double fault on match point handed Kenin the victory 6-4, 6-3 after an hour and 21 minutes.
The win puts Kenin into the third round at the US Open for the fourth year in a row. The American has come up short against top players like Maria Sharapova (2017), Karolina Pliskova (2018) and Madison Keys (2019) at this stage in the past.
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This year, the Australian Open champion counts herself among those top players, but the challenge won’t get any easier as Ons Jabeur awaits in the next round. Jabeur, one of the most in-form players of 2020, took down Kaia Kanepi, 7-6(8), 6-0 earlier in the day to advance.
More to follow…
