Sonia Kenin may not hit the ball as hard or serve as many aces as her colleagues, but she will go to extraordinary lengths, not to leave the court as a second-best player. And that may be the greatest tennis gift of them all.
The 21-year-old American completed a dynamite run to the first Major of the year, winning the first title of her ascending career. Meeting the moment, looking it square in the eye and shaking its hand, Kenin outlasted Spain’s Garbine Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
This will go down as a surprise win. The 14th-seeded Kenin had never played deep in a Major, and had only won three small titles.