Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Sofia Kenin

Discover the career path of Sofia Kenin, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Sofia Kenin is an American professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in singles. A significant accomplishment was winning the 2020 Australian Open, which led to her being named WTA Player of the Year. She also reached the final of the 2020 French Open. Kenin has secured five WTA singles titles and four doubles titles, with notable wins including the 2019 China Open and 2024 Miami Open in doubles, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1999: Serena Williams' US Open Victory

In 1999, Serena Williams won the US Open, a benchmark later referenced when Sofia Kenin became the youngest American to win a major singles title since Williams.

2002: Serena Williams' Wimbledon Win

Serena Williams won Wimbledon in 2002. This is the year mentioned when Kenin became the youngest American woman to win a major singles title.

2006: Referenced 2006 US Open Champion

Maria Sharapova, the 2006 US Open champion, defeated Sofia Kenin in the third round of the 2017 US Open.

2012: ITF Junior Circuit Debut

In 2012, at the age of 13, Sofia Kenin began playing in low-level Grade-4 events on the ITF Junior Circuit.

2013: ITF Women's Circuit Debut

In 2013, Sofia Kenin began playing low-level tournaments on the ITF Women's Circuit, winning her first two professional matches at age 14.

2013: First Junior Titles

In 2013, Sofia Kenin won her first titles in both singles and doubles on the ITF Junior Circuit and progressed to the Grade-1 level.

2014: Junior Grand Slam Debut and Junior Fed Cup Win

In 2014, Sofia Kenin made her junior Grand Slam debut and represented the United States at the Junior Fed Cup, winning the tournament.

2014: Kenin wins Junior Fed Cup

In 2014, Sofia Kenin won the Junior Fed Cup.

2015: US Open girls' singles runner-up

In 2015, Sofia Kenin finished runner-up in the US Open girls' singles event. She also won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship during the summer.

2015: Grand Slam Debut at US Open

In 2015, Sofia Kenin made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open, losing her opening match.

2015: USTA International Spring Championships and US Open Junior Runner-Up

In 2015, Sofia Kenin won the USTA International Spring Championships and finished runner-up at the US Open junior event, reaching No. 2 in the world junior rankings.

2016: US Open Junior Semifinal

In 2016, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinals of the US Open junior tournament.

2017: Top 100 WTA Ranking and US Open Success

In 2017, Sofia Kenin rose into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, advanced beyond the first round of a Grand Slam at the US Open, and turned professional, foregoing a scholarship to the University of Miami.

2018: WTA Top 100 Debut

In 2018, Sofia Kenin made her debut in the top 100 of the WTA rankings as a teenager.

2018: WTA Quarterfinal and Top 100 Ranking

In 2018, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA quarterfinal at the Auckland Open and entered the top 100 by reaching the second round of the Indian Wells Open. She also reached her first WTA semifinal at the Mallorca Open.

2018: Kenin nominated for senior Fed Cup tie

In 2018, Sofia Kenin was nominated for her first senior Fed Cup tie against the Czech Republic. She lost both of her singles matches in three sets, as the Czech Republic swept the tie 3–0 to win the Fed Cup.

2019: Kenin reaches first WTA 1000 quarterfinal

At the Guadalajara Open, in 2023, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2019, defeating sixth seed Jeļena Ostapenko.

2019: Kenin represents the United States in Fed Cup

In 2019, Sofia Kenin represented the United States in the Fed Cup. She lost her only match against Australia to Ashleigh Barty. She defeated Timea Bacsinszky to win the tie against Switzerland 3-1 and keep the United States in the World Group for 2020.

2019: First WTA Singles and Doubles Titles

In 2019, Sofia Kenin won her first WTA doubles title at the Auckland Open with Eugenie Bouchard and her first WTA singles title at the Hobart International.

2019: First WTA Titles and Most Improved Player

In 2019, Sofia Kenin won her first three WTA titles and finished the year just outside the top 10, being named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.

2019: China Open Doubles Title

In 2019, Sofia Kenin won the China Open doubles title partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

2019: Lower-Level Tournament Success

Sofia Kenin experienced success at lower-level tournaments in 2019, setting the stage for her Grand Slam performance in 2020.

2020: Kenin defeats Ashleigh Barty

At the 2020 Australian Open Sofia Kenin defeated world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty during her run to the title.

2020: Kenin reaches singles final since 2020

Following reaching her first singles final since 2020 at the San Diego Open as a wildcard where she lost to fourth seed Barbora Krejčíková, she moved 40 positions up close to the top 50.

2020: World TeamTennis Participation

In 2020, Sofia Kenin led the Philadelphia Freedoms to a first-place regular-season finish in World TeamTennis.

2020: Kenin wins against Liudmila Samsonova

In 2020, Sofia Kenin recorded her first top-20 win, defeating world No. 15, Liudmila Samsonova, at the Qatar Ladies Open, in straight sets.

2020: WTA Player of the Year

In 2020, Sofia Kenin was named the WTA Player of the Year after winning the Australian Open and finishing as runner-up at the French Open.

2020: Australian Open Title

In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open, becoming the youngest American to win a major women's singles title since Serena Williams in 1999.

2020: Australian Open Victory and Lyon Open Title

In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam singles title, and also won the Lyon Open before the WTA Tour shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: Kenin plays in Billie Jean King Cup

In 2020, with the Fed Cup competition changing to the Billie Jean King Cup, Sofia Kenin played in the Qualifying round in a tie against Latvia a week after winning the 2020 Australian Open. After defeating Anastasija Sevastova and losing to Jeļena Ostapenko, Kenin partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to defeat the two of them in the decisive doubles rubber.

May 2021: Brief Period Away From Father as Coach

From May 2021 to November 2021, Sofia Kenin had someone other than her father as her primary coach.

May 2021: Kenin parts ways with her father as coach, becomes KT Tape ambassador

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin announced the end of her coaching relationship with her father. Also in May 2021, she was announced as a brand ambassador for the fitness kinesio-therapeutic tape brand KT Tape.

November 2021: Kenin's father returns as coach

In November 2021, Sofia Kenin announced that her father had returned to her coaching team as she prepared for the 2022 Australian Open.

November 2021: Father Returns as Primary Coach

In November 2021, Sofia Kenin's father returned as her primary coach.

2021: Kenin wins opening match at French Open

At the French Open in 2021, playing for the first time since 2021, Sofia Kenin won her opening match in three sets over Laura Siegemund.

2021: First quarterfinal appearance since Melbourne

In 2021, Kenin reached the quarterfinals of Adelaide 1 where she lost to the top-seeded Ashleigh Barty. It marked her first quarterfinal appearance since Melbourne 2021.

April 2023: Kenin moves back into the top 150

As a result of her performance at the Miami Open, on April 3, 2023, Sofia Kenin moved back into the top 150.

September 2023: Kenin moves up to world No. 31 after Guadalajara Open

Following her performance at the Guadalajara Open in September 2023, Sofia Kenin moved more than 20 positions up to world No. 31 on September 25, 2023.

October 2023: Kenin returns to top 30

Following the China Open, on October 9, 2023, Sofia Kenin returned to the top 30 in the world rankings.

2023: Kenin selected for Billie Jean King Cup

In 2023, Sofia Kenin was selected by captain Kathy Rinaldi to play in the Billie Jean King Cup. She won her first tie against Viktorija Golubic, but lost to Marketa Vondrousova. Team USA finished 2nd in the group and did not advance to the semifinals.

April 2024: Kenin wins Miami Open, returns to top 50

In April 2024, Sofia Kenin, partnering with Bethanie Mattek Sands, won the Miami Open, defeating Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. As a result, she returned to the top 50 in the doubles rankings on April 1, 2024.

October 2024: Kenin reaches Pan Pacific Open final, returns to top 100

In October 2024, Sofia Kenin, entered as a wildcard, reached the final of the Pan Pacific Open, raising close to 70 positions up in the singles rankings, and returning to the top 100 on October 28, 2024. Kenin lost the final to top seed Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.