Sofia Kenin arrived at the French Open with just a 4-13 record this season and now is into the third round at Roland Garros after eliminating 21st-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday.
“Her game annihilates my strong points. She takes the ball early. She changes directions. She returns quite well,” Garcia said. “That actually makes her difficult to outplay.”
Kenin is a 25-year-old based in Florida who won the Australian Open in 2020 and made it to the final in Paris later that year before losing to Iga Swiatek. Kenin's career was knocked off track by a series of health issues, she's now at No. 56 in the rankings after once being as high as No. 4, and she hadn't even participated in the French Open since 2021.
“I mean, I love red clay. I feel like it suits my game. I try to use it to my advantage, and I love the courts here. Especially playing on Philippe Chatrier was even more special and memorable. I feel like I’m super comfortable on that court,” Kenin said. “I’ve got some amazing memories there, so I try to use that to my advantage.”
Over the years, she dealt at various times with a lingering foot injury, a bout with COVID-19 and a right ankle problem.
Her results at the sport's most important events have not been up to her standards: She bowed out in the first or second round at six of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments. And Kenin hadn't played particularly well anywhere this year, with seven losses in opening matches.
“This is the place where you want everything to come together,” she said. “At the start of the year, I wasn’t playing as I am playing right now. I feel like I’m definitely more fitter, doing the right things from my end: fitness, diet, everything. Obviously it’s paying off.”
Clay has been an ally, with five of her six match wins coming on the slow surface used at the French Open. It puts an extra emphasis on movement, one of Kenin's best skills.
They played with the retractable roof closed over the main stadium because of heavy rain that interrupted play on all of the outdoor courts after about 40 minutes at the start of the day — and kept preventing play until deep into the afternoon. That followed several hours of delays during showers Tuesday.
The only other arena where the action could proceed uninterrupted was Court Suzanne Lenglen, which also has a retractable roof as of this year, and 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4 victory over Daniel Altmaier.
The Chatrier stands were less than half-full for Kenin and Garcia, lessening any potential home-support advantage. It was often quiet enough in there that the splat of water drops hitting the top of the roof could be heard.
Kenin does not have a big serve — her fastest Wednesday was 100 mph (162 kph), while Garcia reached 114 mph (184 kph) — but put 81% of first serves in and saved 3 of 4 break points she faced.
Kenin ended up with nearly twice as many winners, 26, as unforced errors, 14. She will face either 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko or Clara Tauson for a berth in the fourth round.
Swiatek, the current No. 1, was scheduled to face Naomi Osaka, a former No. 1, later Wednesday in Chatrier.
Both are four-time major champions; Swiatek has won three of her trophies at Roland Garros, including the past two in a row.
