History of Sofia Kenin in Timeline
Sofia Kenin is an American professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in singles. She was the 2020 WTA Player of the Year, highlighted by winning the Australian Open and reaching the French Open final that same year. Kenin has secured five WTA singles titles and four WTA doubles titles, including the 2019 China Open and the 2024 Miami Open partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, demonstrating her prowess in both singles and doubles competition.
1987: Family Moved to New York City
In 1987, Sofia Kenin's family moved to New York City from the Soviet Union, before returning to Russia for her birth.
November 14, 1998: Sofia Kenin's Birth
On November 14, 1998, Sofia Anna "Sonya" Kenin was born. She is an American professional tennis player.
1999: Serena Williams Wins
In 1999, Serena Williams was the last American player to win the WTA award for Most Improved Player of the Year prior to Sofia Kenin in 2019.
2001: Lindsay Davenport defeated world No. 1 in back-to-back weeks
In 2001, Lindsay Davenport achieved a similar feat by defeating the world No. 1 in back-to-back weeks, a historical comparison to Kenin's achievement.
2002: Serena Williams Wimbledon Win
In 2002, Serena Williams Wimbledon win is referenced as the last time an American woman younger than Kenin won a major singles title prior to Kenin's Australian Open win in 2020.
2003: Jennifer Capriati Loss in Australian Open
In 2003, Jennifer Capriati had the earliest loss for a defending champion at the Australian Open. This event is relevant to Kenin's loss in 2021.
2006: Reference to Maria Sharapova's US Open Win
The 2006 US Open is mentioned, referencing Maria Sharapova's victory which is relevant to Kenin's match against her in 2017.
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, securing her first two professional match wins 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.
2015: US Open Girls' Singles Runner-Up
In 2015, Sofia Kenin finished as runner-up in the US Open girls' singles event.
2015: Grand Slam Debut at US Open
In 2015, Sofia Kenin made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open, receiving a wild card due to her USTA Junior National Championship win.
2015: USTA International Spring Championships and US Open Wild Card
In 2015, Sofia Kenin won the USTA International Spring Championships and earned a wild card into the main draw of the US Open.
2016: US Open Semifinals
In 2016, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinals of the US Open.
2017: US Open Success 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 and decided to turn professional, forgoing her college scholarship.
2018: Top 100 WTA Ranking
In 2018, Sofia Kenin made her debut in the top 100 of the WTA rankings as a teenager.
2018: WTA Tour Progress
In 2018, Sofia Kenin primarily played on the WTA Tour, reaching her first WTA quarterfinal at the Auckland Open and entering the top 100.
2019: Breakthrough Season
In 2019, Sofia Kenin had a breakthrough season, winning her first WTA doubles and singles titles, reaching the fourth round of the French Open, and improving her world ranking.
2019: First WTA Titles and Most Improved Player
In 2019, Sofia Kenin won her first three WTA titles and was named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year.
2019: China Open Doubles Title
In 2019, Sofia Kenin won the China Open in women's doubles, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
2019: Success at lower-level tournaments
Sofia Kenin success at the lower-level tournaments in 2019.
2020: World TeamTennis Participation
In 2020, Sofia Kenin participated in World TeamTennis, leading the Philadelphia Freedoms to a first-place regular-season finish.
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.
May 2021: Parting ways with her father as coach
In May 2021, Sofia Kenin announced she was parting ways with her father as her coach. Additionally, due to an injury, she did not participate in any warmup events before Wimbledon.
May 2021: Changes in Coaching
In May 2021, Sofia Kenin's primary coach changed from her father.
November 2021: Changes in Coaching
In November 2021, Sofia Kenin's primary coach changed back to her father.
November 2021: Father returns to coaching team
On 9 November 2021, Kenin announced that her father had returned to her coaching team as she prepared for the 2022 Australian Open.
January 2022: Australian Open First Round Loss and Ranking Drop
In January 2022, Sofia Kenin, seeded 11th at the Australian Open, lost in straight sets to Madison Keys in the first round, causing her world ranking to plummet to No. 95 due to defending maximum points from her 2020 win and the WTA rankings freeze.
April 2023: Moved 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: Reached the Semifinal at the Guadalajara Open
In September 2023, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinal at the Guadalajara Open, then moved more than 20 positions up to world No. 31 on 25 September 2023.
October 2023: Returned to the Top 30
Following the China Open, in October 2023 Sofia Kenin returned to the top 30 on 9 October 2023.
2023: First round loss at the Linz Open
In 2023, Sofia Kenin experienced a first round loss to Jule Niemeier at the Linz Open.
April 2024: Miami Open Doubles Win and Singles Match at Italian Open
In April 2024, Kenin and Bethanie Mattek Sands won the Miami Open in doubles and Kenin won her first tour-level singles match since January at the Italian Open, defeating Lucia Bronzetti. Kenin also received an obscenity warning during the match.
October 2024: Pan Pacific Open Semifinal and Return to Top 100
In October 2024, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinal at the Pan Pacific Open, returning to the top 100 on 28 October 2024 but lost the final to Zheng Qinwen.
2024: Miami Open Doubles Title
In 2024, Sofia Kenin won the Miami Open in women's doubles, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
