“I have great memories coming here, can't wait to come back next year"- Sofia Kenin gives emotional speech after San Diego Open final defeat
After an inspiring week of tennis at the San Diego Open, former World No. 4 Sofia Kenin delivered an emotional speech.
The American showcased her best performance of the season so far, achieving a runner-up finish at the WTA 500 event held in San Diego. She defeated the likes of Anastasia Potapova and Emma Navarro en route to the finals, but couldn't clinch the title, falling against the fourth seed, Barbora Krejcikova.
Reflecting on her outstanding week in San Diego, Kenin expressed her gratitude to her dedicated team for their support. She also took a moment to reminisce about the cherished memories while playing at Barnes in the past and expressed her desire to return to the tournament next year.
“I have great memories coming here. Playing at Barnes.. when I won the wildcard, it brings a lot of great memories. I want to thank my dad & everyone for supporting me. I can't wait to comeback next year,” Sofia Kenin said in her post match interview.
For the past year, Kenin has been dedicated to rediscovering her top form on the main tour. Her efforts have yielded 22 victories in 39 matches, including a semi-final run at the Hobart International. She also reached the third round at Wimbledon, before falling short against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
The American assessed her performance with humility, acknowledging that it fell short of her expectations. Despite this, she maintained her optimism and aimed to steer her fortunes in a more favorable direction.
"I didn't have maybe the best results, but I felt like this year, you know, I started off pretty good overall and I just had to find my way. I have been fighting it. Yeah, just hope that I can keep it going," Sofia Kenin said in an interview at Wimbledon
Sofia Kenin set to participate at the 2023 Guadalajara Open next
Sofia Kenin is set to compete in the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open, taking place in Mexico from September 17 to 23. The 24-year-old will square off against Canada's Carol Zhao in the first round. The duo have never faced each other on the main tour.
Notable names like defending champion Jessica Pegula, US Open champion Coco Gauff, and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka have opted to withdraw from the event. Other top players like Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova, and Karolina Muchova are also absent from the tournament's entry list.
In their absence, Kenin will be joined by top seeds Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, and Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara. If the American begins her campaign on a winning note, she could take on Anhelina Kalinina or Grace Min in the second round.