"Why was I watching Collins?" - Sofia Kenin scouts the wrong match, hilariously confuses her SF draw at San Diego Open
Sofia Kenin misread her draw and realized that she was scouting Danielle Collins' match instead of her semifinal opponent Emma Navarro at the 2023 San Diego Open.
The former Austrian Open champion opened her San Diego campaign with a bang, defeating sixth seed Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets. She next overcame compatriot Katie Volynets, turning the odds in her favor, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The former World No. 4 registered another straight-set triumph, stunning World No. 27 Anastasia Potapova before sealing her spot in the semifinals.
In a post-match interaction with the media, a journalist asked Sofia Kenin about her next opponent, Maria Sakkari or Emma Navarro, depending on the outcome of the quarterfinal match between the two players.
Kenin looked around in confusion and responded by laughing in disbelief.
"Oh... [surprised] I thought it was Collins. Oh my God, really? Why was I watching Collins? Oh my God," she said.
Kenin lightly clapped her hands and thanked the journalist for the question that cleared up the situation.
"Thank you. That feels better. That feels great!" she laughed.
The American is in fine form and is making one of her deepest runs in a tournament this season so far. Her other semifinal run this year has been at the Hobart International at the beginning of the year.
Sofia Kenin to clash with Emma Navarro at the semifinal of San Diego Open
Sofia Kenin will square off against compatriot Emma Novarro in the semifinals of the 2023 San Diego Open on Saturday, September 16.
The former Australian Open champion, who had fallen out of the top 100 in rankings last season due to an injury layoff, is working her way back up. The World No. 93 came into the tournament after a second-round exit at the US Open.
She will be looking to book a spot in her first WTA final since the 2020 French Open.
Emma Navarro defeated Jasmine Paolini and Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first and second rounds, respectively. She will come into the match after a hard-fought three-set battle over third seed Maria Sakkari in the previous round.
The 22-year-old has had a good season so far, with the ITF W25 Naples, the W100 Charleston, and the W60 Charlottesville titles to her name. She made her Top 100 debut with the wins and will be looking to go further from her current spot at No. 61.
This will be the first on-court meeting between the two players with their head-to-head standing at 0-0.