Sofia Kenin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sofia Kenin

Kenin with the USTA National Championship trophy in 2015
Full name	Sofia Anna Kenin
Native name	София Александровна Кенинa Sofia Aleksandrovna Kenina
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Pembroke Pines, Florida, US
Born	(1998-11-14) November 14, 1998 (age 26) Moscow, Russia
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Turned pro	September 5, 2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Alex Kenin, Michael Joyce (2023)
Prize money	US$ 11,046,082
Official website	sonyakenin.com
Singles
Career record	298–206 (59.13%)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 4 (March 9, 2020)
Current ranking	No. 29 (9 June 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2020)
French Open	F (2020)
Wimbledon	3R (2023)
US Open	4R (2020)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2019)
Doubles
Career record	104–97 (51.74%)
Career titles	4
Highest ranking	No. 21 (January 27, 2025)
Current ranking	No. 36 (5 May 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2020)
French Open	QF (2020)
Wimbledon	QF (2025)
US Open	3R (2024)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	F (2018), record 4–5

Sofia Anna "Sonya" Kenin (born November 14, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 4 in singles by the WTA. In 2020, Kenin was named the WTA Player of the Year. This was after she won the Australian Open and was runner-up at the French Open. She has won five singles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

Sofia was coached mostly by her father. She became a very good junior player. She reached No. 2 in the world after winning the Orange Bowl at age 16. The next year, she was runner-up in the 2015 US Open girls' singles event. She also won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship that summer. Kenin joined the top 100 WTA rankings in 2018 when she was still a teenager. She won her first three titles in 2019. She was named the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year. When she won the 2020 Australian Open, Kenin became the top American player. She was also the youngest American to win a major women's singles title since Serena Williams in 1999.

Early Life and Tennis Beginnings

Sofia Kenin was born in Moscow, Russia. Her parents are Alexander and Svetlana Kenin. Her family moved to the United States a few months after she was born. They had lived in New York City since 1987. But they went back to Russia for Sofia's birth so family could help. Her parents had very little money when they first moved to the US.

Kenin started playing tennis when she was five years old. Her father played tennis for fun and inspired her. Her parents saw her talent. They arranged for her to train with Rick Macci in Florida. Macci coached Kenin for seven years. He said Sofia was amazing at tennis even at age five. He compared her hand-eye coordination to former world No. 1 Martina Hingis. Kenin also trained with Nick Bollettieri. Her main coach has always been her father, except for a short time in 2021. Her childhood tennis heroes were Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Kenin admired Sharapova's strong competitive spirit.

Sofia was very successful in tennis from a young age. This made many people in the tennis world notice her. She started playing in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments for girls 10 and under when she was seven. She became the top player in Florida in that group. Later, she was ranked No. 1 in the USTA national rankings for all age groups up to 18. As a child, Kenin met many famous tennis players. She hit balls with Anna Kournikova at age seven. She even played with Jim Courier against Venus Williams and Todd Martin in a special event. Kim Clijsters gave her a tour of the Miami Open.

Junior Career Highlights

Kenin reached a high ranking of No. 2 in the world for junior players. She started playing in junior tournaments in 2012 when she was 13. After winning her first singles and doubles titles in 2013, she moved up to higher-level events. She played in the Orange Bowl and reached the semifinals in singles.

In 2014, Kenin played in her first junior Grand Slam events. She also represented the United States at the Junior Fed Cup. Her team won the tournament, beating Slovakia 3–0 in the final. Kenin won all her matches, which were all in doubles. Later that year, she won the Orange Bowl.

In 2015, Kenin continued her success. She won the USTA International Spring Championships. That summer, she won the USTA Girls 18s National Championship. This win gave her a special entry into the main part of the 2015 US Open. She also played in the junior event at the US Open. She finished as runner-up, which was her best junior Grand Slam result. This helped her reach No. 2 in the world by the end of the year.

Professional Career Journey

2013–2017: First Steps and Grand Slam Debut

Kenin at the 2015 US Open

Kenin started playing professional tournaments in 2013. She won her first two matches at age 14. She made her Grand Slam debut at the 2015 US Open. She lost her first match there. The next year, Kenin won her first two professional titles. These wins helped her get another special entry into the US Open.

In 2017, Kenin's ranking improved a lot. She won the $60k Stockton Challenger. She also finished second at the $60k Lexington Challenger. These results helped her get a special entry into the 2017 US Open. At this event, Kenin won her first two matches on the WTA Tour. She reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. After this success, Kenin decided to become a professional player in September. She finished the year ranked No. 108.

2018: Breaking into the Top 50

Kenin (left) and Barbora Strýcová in the 2018 Fed Cup final

In 2018, Kenin played mostly on the WTA Tour. She reached her first WTA quarterfinal at the Auckland Open. She entered the top 100 rankings by reaching the second round of the Indian Wells Open. She then upset No. 11 Daria Kasatkina at the Miami Open.

On grass courts, Kenin reached her first WTA semifinal at the Mallorca Open. She beat top seed and world No. 6, Caroline Garcia. This was her first win against a top-ten player. She also won another $60k title in Berkeley. Kenin reached the third round of the US Open for the second year in a row. She beat world No. 10, Julia Görges, at the Wuhan Open. This was her second top-ten win of the year. She then entered the top 50 rankings for the first time.

2019: Three WTA Titles and Rising Star

Kenin had a great year in 2019. She started outside the top 50 and ended near the top ten. She won her first WTA doubles title at the Auckland Open. The next week, she won her first WTA singles title at the Hobart International. She beat the top seed Caroline Garcia and then Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in the final. This success moved her to No. 37 in the world. At the Australian Open, she played a tough match against world No. 1 Simona Halep.

During the clay-court season, Kenin reached the fourth round of the French Open. She upset world No. 10, Serena Williams, in the third round. This was a big win for her.

On grass, Kenin won her second WTA singles title of the year at the Mallorca Open. She saved three match points in the final against No. 13 Belinda Bencic to win. In the US Open Series, she reached the semifinals at two big tournaments. She beat the current world No. 1 players, Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka, in back-to-back weeks. She was the first player to do this since 2001.

In Asia, Kenin won her third singles title of the year at the Guangzhou International Open. Two weeks later, she won her second doubles title with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the China Open. She finished the year ranked No. 14 in singles. Kenin also received the WTA award for Most Improved Player of the Year. She was the first American to win this award since Serena Williams in 1999.

2020: Australian Open Champion and World No. 4

Kenin had amazing success at Grand Slam tournaments in 2020. She won the Australian Open, which was her first Grand Slam singles title. She beat world No. 1 Ash Barty in the semifinal. Then she defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. At 21 years old, she became the youngest American woman to win a major singles title since Serena Williams in 2002. She also became the youngest American to reach the top ten in WTA rankings since Williams in 1999.

Kenin won another title at the Lyon Open. This was her last event before the WTA Tour stopped for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, she was No. 4 in the world, her highest ranking ever.

When the tour started again, Kenin played at the US Open. She reached the fourth round, her best result there. She then played at the French Open. She won four tough three-set matches. She beat No. 11, Petra Kvitová, in the semifinals. She lost the final to Iga Świątek. At the end of the season, Kenin was named the WTA Player of the Year.

2021: Facing Challenges

Kenin at the 2021 French Open

Kenin started 2021 at the Abu Dhabi tournament. She reached the quarterfinals. At the Australian Open, Kenin was the defending champion. She lost in the second round, which was a surprise. This was the earliest a defending champion had lost at the Australian Open since 2003. After the match, Kenin said the pressure of defending her title was very hard.

She then lost to an unranked player at the Phillip Island Trophy. This was her worst loss by ranking on the WTA Tour. Kenin had to withdraw from many tournaments because of appendicitis. She returned at the Miami Open. At the French Open, she reached the fourth round.

In May 2021, Kenin announced that her father would no longer be her coach. She then played at Wimbledon. She lost in the second round. In November 2021, Kenin announced that her father had returned to her coaching team. She finished the year ranked No. 12.

2022: Injuries and Ranking Drop

At the Australian Open, Kenin lost in the first round. Because she was defending many points from winning in 2020, her ranking dropped to No. 95. She reached the quarterfinals of Adelaide 1. But then she lost five matches in a row in the first round.

Kenin got injured and missed all tournaments in March, April, and May. This included the French Open and Wimbledon. Because of this, her ranking fell outside the top 300. She finished the year ranked No. 235.

2023: Comeback and Top 30 Return

Kenin at the 2023 French Open

Kenin started 2023 at the Auckland Open. She reached her first semifinal since the 2020 French Open at the Hobart International. She got her first top-20 win since 2020 by beating world No. 15, Liudmila Samsonova.

At the Miami Open, she reached the third round. This moved her back into the top 150. At the Italian Open, Kenin had a big win. She beat world No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka. This was her first top-5 win since beating Ashleigh Barty at the 2020 Australian Open.

She qualified for the main draw at the Wimbledon Championships. In the first round, she beat seventh seed Coco Gauff. She reached her first singles final since 2020 at the San Diego Open. She then reached her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2019 at the Guadalajara Open. She made it to the semifinal there. As a result, she moved up to world No. 31. She returned to the top 30 in October 2023.

2024: Doubles Champion and Top 100 Return

In 2024, Kenin won the Abu Dhabi Open in doubles with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They also won the Miami Open doubles title. This brought her back into the top 50 in doubles.

In singles, Kenin won her first tour-level match since January at the Italian Open. She upset eighth seed Ons Jabeur for her first top 10 win of the season. At the French Open, she reached the third round.

In October, Kenin reached her first singles semifinal in over a year at the Pan Pacific Open. She then reached the final. This helped her return to the top 100 in singles. She finished as runner-up in the final.

2025: Strong Start to the Season

Kenin reached the quarterfinals at the Hobart International. At the 2025 Australian Open, she lost to third seed Coco Gauff.

At the Charleston Open, Kenin reached the quarterfinals. She then made it to her first clay-court final in five years. She lost the final to Jessica Pegula.

Playing Style

Kenin plays an aggressive style of tennis. She uses many different shots, not just power. She hits winners from the back of the court with both her forehand and backhand. She is good at hiding where her backhand will go. Her backhand down the line and inside-in forehand are two of her best shots. Kenin can also add spin to her backhand to hit clever drop shot winners. Sometimes, she even hits slice forehands, which is rare in modern tennis.

One of Kenin's strengths is being consistent and redirecting shots well. Her childhood coach, Rick Macci, called her "the mosquito." He said she is always there, bothering her opponents. He also said her timing of the ball is amazing. She can hit the ball right after it bounces. This allows her to create sharp angles that move her opponents off the court. Kenin has a unique service motion where she looks down when she tosses the ball.

Endorsements

From 2018 to 2022, Kenin was sponsored by Fila for her clothes and shoes. Before that, she was sponsored by Nike. Since 2022, Kenin has been sponsored by Free People Movement. Her racket sponsor is Babolat, and she uses the Pure Drive model. In January 2021, Kenin signed a deal with Motorola. In May 2021, she became a brand ambassador for KT Tape.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Tournament Performance

Singles

Doubles

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2020	Australian Open	Hard	Garbiñe Muguruza	4–6, 6–2, 6–2
Loss	2020	French Open	Clay	Iga Świątek	4–6, 1–6

Other Important Finals

WTA Premier/1000 Tournaments

Doubles: 2 (2 titles)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2019	China Open	Hard	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Jeļena Ostapenko Dayana Yastremska	6–3, 6–7(5–7), [10–7]
Win	2024	Miami Open	Hard	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	Gabriela Dabrowski Erin Routliffe	4–6, 7–6(7–5), [11–9]

Images for kids

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  Kenin (right) with the 2014 Junior Fed Cup champion United States team

See also

In Spanish: Sofia Kenin para niños