MELBOURNE • A tearful Sofia Kenin yesterday admitted the pressure of defending a Grand Slam title for the first time had proved too great, after she tumbled out of the Australian Open in the second round.
The American looked a shadow of the player who won her first Major at Melbourne Park and reached the French Open final last season, as she succumbed 6-3, 6-2 to Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi on Margaret Court Arena.
Ashen-faced, with her eyes already blotchy before she sat down for her post-match media conference, Kenin struggled to hold back the tears as she explained her on-court collapse.
“My head wasn’t there,” the world No. 4 said.
“Obviously, I’m not going to take any credit away from her. She played really well at those good points.
“I had chances. I just couldn’t take it. I obviously know why because the nerves big-time got to me.”
The tears returned again when the 22-year-old was asked about the pressure of defending the title, adding that she knew retaining the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup would be a tall order as the “Aussie swing got to me”.
“I’m not there 100 per cent physically, mentally, my game. Everything just feels real off obviously. It’s not good,” Kenin said. “It’s weird. I’ve been practising for two weeks.
“Luckily, I’ve been able to practise. I felt fine in practice. Just couldn’t do that in the game.”
Russian-born Kenin added that she had not decided where she would play next but admitted she had a lot of thinking to do about how to build up her resilience.
“I know I couldn’t really handle the pressure,” she said.
“I’m not obviously used to this, so right now, I just got to figure out how to play at that level that I played at. Because like today and those matches, it just hasn’t been there.”
The exit of the fourth seed, even at the hands of a player who last week was ranked 94th in the world, was not the surprise it might have been given that Kenin had been talking about struggling with her nerves since finishing her mandatory two-week quarantine.
While Kenin was rattled, Kanepi was cool as a cucumber as she recorded her second win over her opponent in as many meetings.
The 35-year-old is making a habit of claiming big-name scalps on the biggest stage and such was her nonchalance that she barely celebrated her upset.
Kanepi, who reached the final of last week’s WTA 500 Gippsland Trophy warm-up event before losing to Belgian Elise Mertens, is best known for stunning second-ranked Simona Halep of Romania in the first round of the 2018 US Open.
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SELECTED RESULTS – DAY 4
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MEN’S 2ND RD: Andrey Rublev (Rus) bt Thiago Monteiro (Bra) 6-4 6-4 7-6 (10-8), Feliciano Lopez (Esp) bt Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) 5-7 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4, Karen Khachanov (Rus) bt Ricardas Berankis (Ltu) 6-2 6-4 6-4, Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-4.
WOMEN’S 2ND RD: Ashleigh Barty (Aus) bt Daria Gavrilova (Aus) 6-1 7-6 (9-7), Belinda Bencic (Sui) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 7-5 2-6 6-4, Karolina Pliskova (Cze) bt Danielle Collins (USA) 7-5 6-2.
However, the world No. 65 has recorded six other wins against top-10 players in the Majors, dating back to 2008.
Asked where this victory ranked among her other notable victories, Kanepi, who had 10 aces, said: “I don’t really like comparing any more, I have learnt that playing so many years (of) tennis.
“My game plan was to play aggressive, as I normally do. I played good today, I served really good. I think it was a good win.”
Meanwhile, home favourite and top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, seeking to end Australia’s 43-year singles title drought here, overcame compatriot Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 7-6 (9-7) despite heavy strapping seen on her thigh, which she later said was precautionary.
REUTERS
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Day 5: Singtel Ch114/115 & StarHub Ch208/209, 8am & 4pm