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. Her most notable achievement is winning the 2020 Australian Open. She also reached the final of the 2020 French Open, earning her the WTA Player of the Year award. Kenin has secured five singles titles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour, with key doubles victories including the 2019 China Open and the 2024 Miami Open, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She is considered one of the prominent figures in American tennis.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1987: Family Moved to New York City

In 1987, Sofia Kenin's family moved from the Soviet Union to New York City, 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 would later become an American professional tennis player.

Others born on this day/year

1999: Serena Williams Wins Award

In 1999, Serena Williams became the last American player to win the WTA award, and Sofia Kenin would follow in her footsteps in 2019, earning the award.

2001: Lindsay Davenport's achievement

In 2001, Lindsay Davenport defeated the world No. 1 in back-to-back weeks. This is used as a reference for Kenin's achievement in defeating the world No. 1 players in back-to-back weeks in 2019.

2002: Serena Williams Wimbledon Win

In 2002, Serena Williams won Wimbledon. Sofia Kenin became the youngest American woman to win a major singles title since Serena.

2003: Jennifer Capriati's loss at the Australian Open

In 2003, Jennifer Capriati had an early loss at the Australian Open, losing in the first round. This was the earliest loss for a defending champion at the Australian Open since then.

2006: Maria Sharapova's US Open Win

In 2006, Maria Sharapova won the US Open. Kenin would later lose to her 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 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 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 as runner-up in the US Open girls' singles event and also 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, but lost her opening match.

2015: USTA International Spring Championships Win

In 2015, Sofia Kenin won the USTA International Spring Championships, a Grade-1 tournament and also won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship.

2016: US Open Junior Semifinals

In 2016, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinals of the US Open junior event after upsetting the top seed Anastasia Potapova.

2017: First Grand Slam Match Wins 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 in September.

2017: Kenin develops aggressive style of play

In 2017, her first full year on the professional tour, Sofia Kenin developed an aggressive and determined style of play, according to her father.

2018: Kenin endorsed by Fila

Between 2018 and 2022, Sofia Kenin was endorsed by Fila for her clothing and shoes.

2018: WTA Top 100 Debut

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

2018: Kenin nominated for senior Fed Cup

In 2018, Sofia Kenin was nominated for her first senior Fed Cup tie in the final against the Czech Republic, losing both of her singles matches.

2018: Petra Kvitová notices Kenin's play style

In early 2018, Petra Kvitová noticed Sofia Kenin's aggressive and determined style of play. Kenin's father said that she had developed this trait in 2017, her first full year on the professional tour.

2019: Breakthrough Year in WTA

In 2019, Sofia Kenin experienced a breakthrough year, winning her first WTA doubles title at the Auckland Open, her first WTA singles title at the Hobart International, reaching another WTA final at the Mexican Open, and reaching the fourth round at the French Open.

2019: Kenin represents US 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 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: Asian Hardcourt Success and WTA Elite Trophy

In 2019, Sofia Kenin won her third singles title of the year at the Guangzhou International Open and partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win her second doubles title of the year at the China Open. She also qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy.

2019: China Open Doubles Title

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

2019: Grand Slam Success in 2020

Kenin carried her success at the lower-level tournaments in 2019 to the Grand Slam tournaments in 2020.

2020: Kenin defeats Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open

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

2020: World TeamTennis Participation

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

2020: Kenin plays in Billie Jean King Cup

In 2020, Sofia Kenin played in the Qualifying round in a tie against Latvia a week after winning the 2020 Australian Open. Kenin partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to defeat the two of them in the decisive doubles rubber. The United States advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

2020: Kenin reaches San Diego Open final

In 2020, Sofia Kenin reached her first singles final since 2020 at the San Diego Open as a wildcard, moving 40 positions up close to the top 50.

2020: Kenin defeats Liudmila Samsonova at Qatar Ladies Open

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

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: Kenin wins tie against Timea Bacsinszky

In 2020, Sofia Kenin was selected to play the last singles rubber against Timea Bacsinszky. Kenin defeated Bacsinszky to win the tie 3–1 and keep the United States in the World Group for 2020.

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.

2020: Australian Open Title

In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open, becoming the American No. 1 and the youngest American to win a Grand Slam women's singles title since Serena Williams in 1999.

January 2021: Kenin signs endorsement deal with Motorola

In January 2021, Sofia Kenin signed an endorsement deal with Motorola, an American consumer electronics and telecommunications company.

May 2021: Kenin parts ways with her father as coach

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin announced that she was parting ways with her father as her coach due to an injury. She did not participate in any warmup events before Wimbledon because of the injury.

May 2021: New coach except for her father

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin changed coaches, with her father no longer being her coach for a period of time.

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.

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. At the end of the year, she was ranked No. 12 in singles.

November 2021: End of coaching period with new coach

In November 2021, Sofia Kenin ended the period with the new coach and returned to her father as her primary coach.

2021: Kenin at the French Open

In 2021, Sofia Kenin played at the French Open for the first time since 2021, winning her opening match. She then advanced to the third round, losing to Clara Tauson.

2021: Kenin reaches quarterfinals of Adelaide 1

In 2021, Sofia Kenin reached the quarterfinals of Adelaide 1, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty in straight sets. This marked her first quarterfinal appearance since Melbourne 2021.

January 2022: Kenin loses to Madison Keys at Australian Open

In January 2022, Sofia Kenin lost to Madison Keys in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open. Her world ranking plummeted to No. 95 due to defending maximum points from winning the 2020 tournament.

2022: Kenin sponsored by Free People Movement

Since 2022, Sofia Kenin has been sponsored by the American athletics company Free People Movement.

April 2023: Kenin moves back into the top 150

On April 3, 2023, Sofia Kenin moved back into the top 150 after reaching the third round at the Miami Open.

September 2023: Kenin reaches Guadalajara Open semifinal and moves up in rankings

In September 2023, Sofia Kenin reached the semifinal at the Guadalajara Open, moving more than 20 positions up to world No. 31 on September 25, 2023.

October 2023: Kenin returns to top 30

In October 2023, following the China Open, Sofia Kenin returned to the top 30 on October 9, 2023.

2023: Kenin's performance at the Auckland Open and Australian Open

In 2023, Sofia Kenin began her season at the Auckland Open, losing to Coco Gauff. At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Victoria Azarenka.

2023: Kenin selected for Billie Jean King Cup

In 2023, Sofia Kenin was selected by captain Kathy Rinaldi for the Billie Jean King Cup. Kenin played for the team at first singles given the team was missing both Gauff, Pegula, and Keys. She won her first tie, 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 in doubles and 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 and returns to top 100

In October 2024, Sofia Kenin reached the final at the Pan Pacific Open, returning to the top 100 on October 28, 2024. She lost the final to Zheng Qinwen.

2024: Miami Open Doubles Title

In 2024, Sofia Kenin won the Miami Open doubles title partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

2025: Kenin at the Australian Open

At the 2025 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin lost to Coco Gauff in straight sets.

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