Sofia Kenin made a nervous start to her Australian Open defence Tuesday, but ailing former champion Victoria Azarenka crashed out after nee...
Sofia Kenin made a nervous start to her Australian Open defence Tuesday, but ailing former champion Victoria Azarenka crashed out after needing treatment for breathing difficulties during a straight-sets defeat.
The fourth seed prevailed 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes against Australian Maddison Inglis, who is ranked outside the top 100, with the volatile American vocal throughout and frustrated with her patchy performance.
“I’m obviously not happy with the way I played,” said Kenin, who made 27 unforced errors on her return to Rod Laver Arena.
Playing with the roof open, she appeared to move freely but struggled against the gritty Australian during a tight first set marked by long baseline rallies. She eventually shrugged off the 23-year-old Inglis, who has not won a Grand Slam match in four attempts.
Kenin next plays in-form Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who was runner-up in the warm-up Gippsland Trophy.
The 22-year-old won her first Grand Slam a year ago against Garbine Muguruza, who turned the tables to beat Kenin in a warm-up tournament last week and had little trouble in dispatching Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan 6-4, 6-0 on the adjacent Margaret Court Arena.
But the 2012 and 2013 champion Azarenka was a distressing sight as she went out to Jessica Pegula...
