History of Sofia Kenin in Timeline

Sofia Kenin is an American professional tennis player who reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in singles. She was named the 2020 WTA Player of the Year after winning the Australian Open and finishing as runner-up at the French Open. Kenin has accumulated five singles titles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the 2019 China Open and 2024 Miami Open (partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands).

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1987: Family's Move 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 is an American professional tennis player.

Others born on this day/year

1999: Reference to Serena Williams' US Open Win

In 1999, Serena Williams won the US Open at 17 years old.

1999: Serena Williams US Open Win

In 1999, Serena Williams won the US Open.

1999: Serena Williams' Recognition and Most Improved Player Award

In 1999, Serena Williams' was mentioned as the last American to win the WTA Most Improved Player award, prior to Kenin receiving it. The text also references Serena Williams.

2001: Lindsay Davenport's Achievement

The text makes reference to Lindsay Davenport defeating the world No. 1 in back-to-back weeks, which happened in 2001.

2002: Reference to Serena Williams' Wimbledon Win

In 2002, Serena Williams won Wimbledon, serving as a reference point for Kenin's later achievement.

2006: Reference to Maria Sharapova's US Open Win

The text mentions that Maria Sharapova was the 2006 US Open champion.

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 age 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 also represented the United States at the Junior Fed Cup, winning the tournament undefeated in doubles.

2015: US Open Girls' Singles Runner-Up

In 2015, Sofia Kenin finished 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, losing her opening match.

2015: USTA International Spring Championships and US Open Wild Card

In 2015, Sofia Kenin won the USTA International Spring Championships and the USTA Girls 18s National Championship, earning a wild card into the main draw of the US Open. She also finished 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, upsetting the top seed.

2017: Rise in WTA Rankings and US Open Success

In 2017, Sofia Kenin steadily rose up the WTA rankings, won the Stockton Challenger, reached the third round of the US Open, and turned professional in September.

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 Tour Progression

In 2018, Sofia Kenin played primarily on the WTA Tour, reaching her first quarterfinal at the Auckland Open, entering the top 100, and reaching her first WTA semifinal at the Mallorca Open.

2019: Breakthrough Season

In 2019, Sofia Kenin had a breakthrough season, winning her first WTA doubles title at the Auckland Open, her first WTA singles title at the Hobart International, and reaching the fourth round at the French Open.

2019: Fed Cup Performance

In 2019, Sofia Kenin represented the United States in the Fed Cup. She lost her match against Ashleigh Barty in the first round against Australia. She defeated Timea Bacsinszky to win the tie against Switzerland 3–1.

2019: First WTA Titles and WTA Most Improved Player of the Year

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 doubles, partnering with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

2019: Success at Lower-Level Tournaments

The text mentions Sofia Kenin's success at lower-level tournaments in 2019.

2020: Kept the United States in the World Group

In 2020, Sofia Kenin kept the United States in the World Group.

2020: World TeamTennis Participation

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

2020: Billie Jean King Cup

In 2020, Sofia Kenin played in the Qualifying round in a tie against Latvia after winning the 2020 Australian Open. The United States advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

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 the runner-up at the French Open.

2020: Australian Open Win and Lyon Open Title

In 2020, Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open and the Lyon Open before the WTA Tour shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

January 2021: Endorsement deal with Motorola

In January 2021, Sofia Kenin signed an endorsement deal with Motorola.

May 2021: Parting ways with father as coach and injury before Wimbledon

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin announced that she was parting ways with her father as her coach. Additionally, due to an injury, she was unable to participate in any warmup events leading up to Wimbledon.

May 2021: Change in Coaching

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin changed coaches, which lasted until November 2021.

May 2021: Brand ambassador for KT Tape

In May 2021, Sofia Kenin was announced as a brand ambassador for KT Tape, a fitness kinesio-therapeutic tape brand.

November 2021: 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: End of Coaching Period

Sofia Kenin's external coaching period ended in November 2021, after starting in May 2021.

January 2022: Loss at Australian Open and ranking drop

In January 2022, Sofia Kenin, seeded 11th, faced Madison Keys at the Australian Open and lost in straight sets in the first round. Following the conclusion of the tournament on January 31, her world ranking plummeted to No. 95.

April 2023: Moved back into the top 150

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

September 2023: Reached Semifinal at Guadalajara Open and rise in rankings

In September 2023, Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2019 at the Guadalajara Open, defeating sixth seed Jeļena Ostapenko. She then defeated Leylah Fernandez to reach the semifinal. As a result, she moved more than 20 positions up to world No. 31 on September 25, 2023.

October 2023: Returned to the top 30

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

2023: Billie Jean King Cup

In 2023, Sofia Kenin was selected to play for Team USA in the Billie Jean King Cup. She won her first tie against Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic but lost to Marketa Vondrousova against the Czech Republic.

April 2024: Doubles Ranking Rise and Controversy at Italian Open

On April 1, 2024, Sofia Kenin returned to the top 50 in the doubles rankings. At the Italian Open she disagreed with the chair umpire and tournament supervisor's decision to keep players on court during rain. She shouted expletives in both English and Russian, receiving an audible obscenity warning.

October 2024: Pan Pacific Open: Semifinal and Final Appearance

In October 2024, Sofia Kenin, entering as a wildcard at the Pan Pacific Open, reached her first singles semifinal in more than a year and then the final. As a result, she returned to the top 100 on October 28, 2024. Kenin lost the final to top seed Zheng Qinwen.