History of Sofia Kenin in Timeline
Sofia Kenin is a highly accomplished American professional tennis player. Her career-high ranking is world No. 4 in singles and No. 26 in doubles. Kenin was named the 2020 WTA Player of the Year after a stellar season that included winning the Australian Open and reaching the French Open final. She boasts five WTA singles titles and four WTA doubles titles, including the 2019 China Open and 2024 Miami Open partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
1987: Family Moved to New York City
In 1987, Sofia Kenin's family left the Soviet Union and moved to New York City.
November 14, 1998: Sofia Kenin's Birth
On November 14, 1998, Sofia Anna "Sonya" Kenin was born. She would become an American professional tennis player.
1999: Serena Williams US Open Victory
In 1999, Serena Williams won the US Open at 17 years old.
1999: Serena Williams Most Improved Player Award
In 1999, Serena Williams won the WTA award Most Improved Player of the Year.
2001: Lindsay Davenport's Back-to-Back Victories Over World No. 1
In 2001, Lindsay Davenport was the last player to defeat the world No. 1 in back-to-back weeks before Sofia Kenin achieved this in 2019.
2002: Serena Williams Wimbledon Win
In 2002, Serena Williams won Wimbledon.
2003: Jennifer Capriati's early loss at the Australian Open
In 2003, Jennifer Capriati experienced an early exit at the Australian Open, losing in the first round. This marked the earliest loss for a defending champion at the event since that year.
2006: Maria Sharapova's US Open Victory
In 2006, Maria Sharapova won the US Open.
2012: Began playing ITF Junior Circuit
In 2012, at the age of 13, Sofia Kenin began playing in low-level Grade-4 events on the ITF Junior Circuit.
2013: First Professional Matches
In 2013, Sofia Kenin began playing low-level tournaments on the ITF Women's Circuit and won her first two professional matches at the age of 14.
2013: First Junior Titles
In 2013, Sofia Kenin won her first titles in both singles and doubles on the ITF Junior Circuit.
2014: Junior Grand Slam Debut and Junior Fed Cup Win
In 2014, Sofia Kenin made her junior Grand Slam debut and won the Junior Fed Cup representing the United States, going undefeated in her five doubles matches. She also won the Orange Bowl at the end of the year.
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 as runner-up in the US Open girls' singles event and won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship.
2015: Grand Slam Debut at US Open
In 2015, Sofia Kenin made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open, after winning the USTA Junior National Championship, 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 the USTA Girls 18s National Championship. She also finished as runner-up at the US Open junior event.
2016: US Open Junior Semifinals
In 2016, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinals of the US Open junior tournament.
2017: US Open Third Round and Turning Professional
In 2017, Sofia Kenin advanced beyond the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the US Open, reaching the third round. She turned professional in September and forewent a scholarship to the University of Miami.
2017: Kenin's Aggressive Style Developed
In 2017, Sofia Kenin's father said that she had developed her aggressive and determined style of play.
2018: Kenin Endorsed by Fila
Between 2018 and 2022, Sofia Kenin was endorsed by Fila for her clothing and shoes.
2018: Top 100 WTA Ranking Debut
In 2018, Sofia Kenin made her debut in the top 100 of the WTA rankings as a teenager.
2018: WTA Quarterfinal, Top 100 Ranking, and First Top-Ten Win
In 2018, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA quarterfinal at the Auckland Open, entered the top 100, and achieved her first career top-ten victory against Caroline Garcia at the Mallorca Open.
2018: Kenin Nominated for First Senior Fed Cup Tie
In 2018, Sofia Kenin was nominated for her first senior Fed Cup tie against the Czech Republic.
2018: Petra Kvitová Noticed Kenin's Aggressive Style
In early 2018, Petra Kvitová noticed Sofia Kenin's aggressive and determined style of play.
2019: China Open Doubles Title
In 2019, Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the China Open doubles title.
2019: Kenin's 2019 Success
In 2019, Sofia Kenin had success at lower-level tournaments that she carried into the Grand Slam tournaments of 2020.
2019: Kenin reaches first WTA 1000 quarterfinal
In 2019, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since the Guadalajara Open.
2019: Kenin Represents United States in Fed Cup Against Australia
In 2019, Sofia Kenin represented the United States in the Fed Cup against Australia, losing her only match to Ashleigh Barty.
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 WTA Most Improved Player
In 2019, Sofia Kenin won her first three WTA titles and was named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.
2020: Kenin Defeats Barty at Australian Open
At the Italian Open, Kenin defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the second round, marking her first top-5 win since defeating Ashleigh Barty at the 2020 Australian Open.
2020: Kenin Reaches First Singles Final Since 2020 at San Diego Open
Following reaching her first singles final since 2020 at the San Diego Open as a wildcard, Sofia Kenin moved up 40 positions closer to the top 50.
2020: Kenin Keeps the United States in the World Group
In 2020, Sofia Kenin defeated Timea Bacsinszky to win the tie 3-1 and keep the United States in the World Group.
2020: World TeamTennis Participation
In 2020, Sofia Kenin led the Philadelphia Freedoms to a first-place regular-season finish in World TeamTennis.
2020: Kenin Participates in Billie Jean King Cup Qualifying Round
In 2020, Sofia Kenin participated in the Qualifying round of the Billie Jean King Cup against Latvia, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the decisive doubles rubber after winning a singles match and losing another.
2020: Kenin Reaches Tour-Level Semifinal at French Open
In 2020, Sofia Kenin reached her first tour-level semifinal since the 2020 French Open at the Hobart International.
2020: Kenin Records First Top-20 Win Since 2020 French Open
In 2020, Sofia Kenin recorded her first top-20 win since the 2020 French Open by defeating Liudmila Samsonova at the Qatar Ladies Open.
2020: WTA Player of the Year Award
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 Win and Lyon Open Title
In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam singles title and also won the inaugural Lyon Open. She reached a career-best ranking of No. 4 in the world.
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: Kenin wins the Australian Open
In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open.
January 2021: Kenin Signs Endorsement Deal with Motorola
In January 2021, Sofia Kenin signed an endorsement deal with Motorola.
May 2021: Kenin parts ways with her father as coach and becomes KT Tape brand ambassador
In May 2021, Sofia Kenin announced she was parting ways with her father as her coach. Also in May 2021, Kenin was announced as a brand ambassador for KT Tape.
May 2021: Kenin announced as brand ambassador for KT Tape
In May 2021, Sofia Kenin was announced as a brand ambassador for the fitness kinesio-therapeutic tape brand KT Tape.
May 2021: End of primary coaching by father
In May 2021, Sofia Kenin's father stopped being her primary coach.
November 2021: Father resumed primary coaching role
In November 2021, Sofia Kenin's father resumed his role as her primary coach.
November 2021: Kenin's Father Returns as Coach
On 9 November 2021, Sofia Kenin announced that her father had returned to her coaching team as she prepared for the 2022 Australian Open.
2021: Kenin Plays at the French Open for the First Time Since 2021 and Reaches Third Round
At the French Open, playing for the first time since 2021, Sofia Kenin won her opening match against Laura Siegemund and then advanced to the third round with a victory over Caroline Garcia. She ultimately lost to Clara Tauson in the third round.
2021: Kenin Loses in Second Round of Australian Open
In 2021, Sofia Kenin lost in the second round of the Australian Open.
2021: Kenin reaches Adelaide 1 Quarterfinals
In 2021, Sofia Kenin made it to the quarterfinals of Adelaide 1, marking her first quarterfinal appearance since Melbourne 2021.
January 2022: Kenin Loses in First Round of Australian Open, Ranking Plummets
In January 2022, Sofia Kenin lost in straight sets to Madison Keys in the first round of the Australian Open. As a result of defending maximum points from her 2020 win rather than 2021 points due to WTA ranking freeze, her world ranking plummeted to No. 95 after the tournament on 31 January 2022.
2022: Kenin Sponsored by Free People Movement
Since 2022, Sofia Kenin has been sponsored by the American athletics company Free People Movement.
2022: Kenin finishes the year ranked No. 12 in singles
Sofia Kenin finished the year 2022 ranked No. 12 in singles.
April 2023: Kenin Moves Back Into Top 150
As a result of her performance at the Miami Open, on 3 April 2023, Sofia Kenin moved back into the top 150.
September 2023: Kenin Reaches WTA 1000 Semifinal in Guadalajara, Moves Up in Ranking
In September 2023, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2019 at the Guadalajara Open, and then the semifinal, only her third in her career at a WTA 1000 level. As a result, she moved more than 20 positions up to world No. 31 on 25 September 2023.
October 2023: Kenin Returns to Top 30
Following the China Open, Sofia Kenin returned to the top 30 on 9 October 2023.
2023: Kenin Loses in First Round of Linz Open
In 2023, Sofia Kenin lost in the first round of the Linz Open to Jule Niemeier.
2023: Kenin Plays in Billie Jean King Cup
In 2023, Sofia Kenin was selected by captain Kathy Rinaldi to play for Team USA in the Billie Jean King Cup, winning her first tie against Viktorija Golubic but losing to Marketa Vondrousova. Team USA did not advance to the semifinals.
2023: Kenin Last Reached Singles Semifinal in Guadalajara
Sofia Kenin made it into the second round at the US Open and reached her first singles semifinal in more than a year (since 2023 in Guadalajara) at the Pan Pacific Open in October 2024.
April 2024: Kenin wins Miami Open in doubles and returns to the top 50
On 1 April 2024, Sofia Kenin returned to the top 50 in the doubles rankings. Earlier in April 2024, partnering with Bethanie Mattek Sands, she won the Miami Open, defeating Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe.
October 2024: Kenin reaches Pan Pacific Open final, returns to top 100
In October 2024, Sofia Kenin reached her first singles semifinal in more than a year at the Pan Pacific Open and then the final, and as a result returned to the top 100 on 28 October 2024.
2024: Miami Open Doubles Title
In 2024, Sofia Kenin partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the Miami Open doubles title.
2025: Kenin Loses to Gauff at Australian Open
At the 2025 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin lost to Coco Gauff in straight sets.
2025: Team USA is a finalist for the Billie Jean Cup
Team USA is one of eight finalists for the Billie Jean Cup 2025 to be held in China in September.
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