Kenin crumbles under pressure of title defence
Agency :
A tearful Sofia Kenin admitted the pressure of defending a Grand Slam title for the first time had proved too great after she tumbled out of the Australian Open in the second round on Thursday.
The 22-year-old American looked a shadow of the player that won her first major title at Melbourne Park and reached the French Open final last season as she succumbed 6-3, 6-2 to Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi on Margaret Court Arena.
Ashen-faced, with her eyes already blotchy before she sat down for her post-match media conference, Kenin struggled to hold back the tears as she explained what had happened out on court.
“My head wasn’t there,” she said. “Obviously I’m not going to take any credit away from her. She played really well at those good points.
A tearful Sofia Kenin admitted the pressure of defending a Grand Slam title for the first time had proved too great after she tumbled out of the Australian Open in the second round on Thursday.
The 22-year-old American looked a shadow of the player that won her first major title at Melbourne Park and reached the French Open final last season as she succumbed 6-3, 6-2 to Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi on Margaret Court Arena.
Ashen-faced, with her eyes already blotchy before she sat down for her post-match media conference, Kenin struggled to hold back the tears as she explained what had happened out on court.
“My head wasn’t there,” she said. “Obviously I’m not going to take any credit away from her. She played really well at those good points.
