Former AO champ's stunning fall from grace worsens

Sofia Kenin was the Australian Open champion successful 2020, and made it to the last of the French Open, too, that year, erstwhile she climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 4.

She's going to driblet a batch person to No.100 aft a first-round exit astatine Melbourne Park today.

The 11th-seeded Kenin was beaten by 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys 7-6 (2), 7-5 successful an all-American matchup.

"It's not easy, but it's conscionable a number. It doesn't alteration who I am. I'm inactive that idiosyncratic who everyone respects precise much," Kenin said of her WTA ranking status. "Obviously, it's not the champion news. ... But I don't person a uncertainty I tin get backmost there."

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Keys, besides a erstwhile Top 10 subordinate who reached the Australian Open semifinals successful 2015, utilized 16 aces to widen her caller tally of success: She is coming disconnected a hard-court rubric astatine Adelaide connected Saturday.

Sofia Kenin of United States plays a forehand successful her archetypal circular singles lucifer against Madison Keys (Getty)

"Just immoderate unforced errors and immoderate forced errors -- due to the fact that Maddy forced them. I was close there. It's disappointing," Kenin said. "It's a small spot of a bummer."

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Last play was hard for her: She was disconnected the circuit for the 2nd fractional of the twelvemonth due to the fact that of a ft wounded and a bout with COVID-19.

Her ranking has remained arsenic precocious arsenic it has acknowledgment successful ample portion to getting to clasp onto the points she earned by winning the trophy astatine the Australian Open 2 years ago. But aft a second-round nonaccomplishment successful 2021, she present departs adjacent earlier.

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