Sofia Kenin fought off two set points in each set en route to an upset win over top-seeded Ashleigh Barty on Thursday in the Australian Open semifinals at Melbourne, earning a trip to her first career Grand Slam final.
Kenin, a 21-year-old American who is the tournament’s 14th seed, pulled out a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory. She never previously reached the quarterfinals of any major tournament.
Barty, a 23-year-old Australian, is ranked No. 1 in the world after winning the French Open and the WTA Finals last year.
In the final, Kenin will oppose a former world No. 1, unseeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who beat fourth-seeded Simona Halep of Romania 7-6 (8), 7-5 in the second semifinal. Muguruza also saved four set points in her win.
Kenin was in disbelief when she was interviewed on court after the match — especially considering the fact that she easily could have lost in straight sets.
“She’s such a tough player, and she’s playing really amazing,” Kenin said. “I knew I really needed to find a way to win. … This really wasn’t an easy one, but I’m just so grateful and thankful for this moment.
“It’s a dream come true for me. Not everyone gets to live this moment, live this dream. I’m just really grateful for it.”@SofiaKenin holds her nerve to crush Barty dreams and reach maiden Grand Slam final 👏 Match report ➡ https://t.co/sG1iOyHyx7#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TzlySWzzIw — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2020
“It’s a dream come true for me. Not everyone gets to live this moment, live this dream. I’m just really grateful for it.”@SofiaKenin holds her nerve to crush Barty dreams and reach maiden Grand Slam final 👏
Match report ➡ https://t.co/sG1iOyHyx7#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TzlySWzzIw
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2020
“Honestly, I’m just so speechless. I honestly can’t believe this. I’ve just dreamed about this moment since I was 5 years old. … I’ve worked so hard to get here.”
Neither player broke serve in the opening set, with only one game featuring break points. Barty had three break opportunities with Kenin serving at 2-3, but Kenin saved all three.
In the tiebreaker, Barty jumped in front 6-4, but Kenin won the next four points to claim the set.
Barty finally earned a service break to grab a 2-1 lead in the second set. She had two set points while serving at 5-4 but couldn’t take advantage, with Kenin ultimately breaking back. Kenin went on to seal the match by breaking serve when Barty sailed a forehand too long. Muguruza shook off two set points while serving at 5-6 in the opening set, then two more in the first-set tiebreaker. Like Kenin, she broke serve on the match’s last point to seal a straight-sets win.
“I wasn’t thinking I was down,” Muguruza said in her postmatch interview. “At some point you are going to have your opportunity. I know I was facing Simona so it was going to be a hard match, so I was just hanging in there and fighting with all the energy I had.”
Muguruza, 26, won the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017, but her best previous result at the Australian Open was a quarterfinal defeat in 2017. She is currently ranked No. 32 in the world.
#AusOpen Vamosssss!! pic.twitter.com/XLSfb5NCjE — Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) January 30, 2020
#AusOpen Vamosssss!! pic.twitter.com/XLSfb5NCjE
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) January 30, 2020
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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