The Summer of Sofia: Kenin inches closer to a Grand Slam breakthrough

NEW YORK—Something old: Sofia Kenin reached the third round of the US Open for the third consecutive season, taking out Laura Siegemund on Thursday, 7-6 (4), 6-0.

Something new: the 20-year-old American isn't flying under the radar anymore.

"I'm really happy. Third round, third year in a row, which is obviously really good," Kenin said. "I'm just going to use all my confidence that I have."

Kenin enters her home Slam with plenty of momentum, ranked at a career-high No. 20 after reaching the semifinals of Toronto and Cincinnati. In those runs, she recorded wins over Top 5 seeds Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina—the latter twice.

"For sure I feel like that helped me with my confidence," Kenin said of her recent hard-court play. "Going into the tournament, it's always good to have matches under my belt and having good results which just makes it better for me and easier for me."

With all the buzz surrounding 15-year-old Coco Gauff and 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu, Kenin might seem like a veteran by comparison. But the youngster has rapidly developed into one of the more dangerous players on tour, one of the best Americans players—period—and has been quietly setting herself up for a major breakthrough.

"It's very exciting to have Coco, but we have so many great American players," said U.S. Fed Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi.

The 20-year-old has never reached a Grand Slam fourth round. (AP)

Kenin hasn't had the easiest draw despite her high seeding. She had to fight past 2017 US Open semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in the first round; Siegemund was ranked in the Top 30 three years ago.

While she was a heavy favorite in both matches, Kenin also attributed her success to the setting: on the relatively intimate Grandstand, with heavy crowd support.

"I like that court. I feel pretty comfortable with the atmosphere," Kenin said on Monday. "I'm happy that there was people cheering for me. It's not like everyone was cheering for [Vandeweghe]. She's more famous than me!"

That may be true for now. Kenin's fame is rising as quickly as her position in the rankings. Beginning the season at No. 52., Kenin captured her first two WTA titles, in Hobart and in Mallorca, to spur her ascent. She also scored her first Fed Cup win in February to clinch a tie over Switzerland, an early boost that has sustained through the summer.

“I think that Fed Cup helped her,” Rinaldi said. “That was a huge match and it was a huge call, and to see her get that win was really special. You could see how much it meant to her. She was already on a good path.”

While fans don't recognize Kenin too often in the streets of New York, she's popular around the grounds and in the tennis world, with many knowing her since she was a junior star.

"I love signing autographs, I love interacting with my fans to a certain point," she said. "Sometimes it can get a little interesting, but I don't mind, I love them."

Kenin isn't that far removed from her own days collecting signatures. The Russian-born American was a common sight at tournaments and exhibitions starting when she was just five years old.

"I was in their position," she said. "I remember that feeling of how it was to get a signature. Of course, I was not as pushy as them.

“It's so funny when they try to take a picture they get so nervous. I’m always like, ‘Don’t worry you’re fine. No need to rush.’’

Kenin said she was mobbed by eager fans when she left Citi Taste of Tennis last Thursday. (Getty)

Where Kenin is relentless and intense is on the court, chasing down every ball and pumping herself up after every point. She'll need to maintain that approach in her third-rounder, in which Kenin will face world No. 9 Madison Keys. The two Americans have split two meetings this year.

If Kenin wins, she'll reach the fourth round in New York for the first time—and perhaps get even more of the  attention she deserves.

“I’ve known Sonia since she was seven,” Rinaldi said. “She's incredible. What you see is what you get. Every practice is like a match. She’s extremely sweet and generous off the court, and a great competitor and one of the smartest players on it."

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