Heartbreaking scenes in Tokyo Open as Sofia Kenin withdraws in tears from doubles after injury, raises concerns over playing in final vs Zheng Qinwen
Sofia Kenin broke down in tears after injuring herself during the doubles semifinals at the 2024 Tokyo Open. Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands were forced to forfeit the match after seven games in the first set.
Kenin and Mattek-Sands faced Laura Siegemund and Ena Shibahara in the semifinals of the WTA 500 tournament on October 26. This was Sofia Kenin's second match of the day after she beat Katie Boulter in the singles semifinals earlier. Towards the end of the singles match, the former Australian Open champion hurt herself but managed to get over the line.
The injuries aggravated in the doubles match, and Kenin called a medical timeout. She rejoined the match with ice strapped to her upper leg. After going 5-2 behind in the first set, Kenin could no longer continue and retired from the contest. Siegemund and Shibahara progressed to their second tour final in two weeks and will face Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi in the final on 27 October, Sunday.
Kenin's retirement from the doubles semifinals does not bode well for her chances of playing the singles final against top seed Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 Tokyo Open. The title contest at the WTA 500 tournament will be played on October 27, providing little time for the American to recuperate. Zheng defeated Diana Shnaider in her semifinal contest.
Sofia Kenin expresses optimism about facing Zheng Qinwen at Tokyo Open
While missing out on the chance to play the doubles final as well in Tokyo was disappointing for Sofia Kenin, she appeared optimistic about playing the singles final. In her post-match interview after the doubles semifinals, the 25-year-old hoped to do her best to manage her injury and compete in the final against Zheng and said (via myNEWS):
“The plan is to play. I’ll do everything I can for tomorrow,” Kenin said.
The American had struggled throughout the year and fell out of the top 150 of the WTA ranking. However, she turned it around in Tokyo to beat 10th seed Wang Xinyu, Clara Tauson, third seed Daria Kasatkina, and ninth seed Katie Boulter en route to her first tour final of the year.
Kenin has been more successful in the doubles format in 2024. She and Mattek-Sands won the WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi and the WTA 1000 title in Miami. The duo was in contention for the WTA Finals, but a string of poor results in the second half of the season hurt their chances.