General
Sofia Kenin admits to struggling with pressure as Australian Open title defence ends
An emotional Sofia Kenin says she “couldn’t really handle the pressure” of being defending Australian Open champion after making a second-round exit at Melbourne Park.
Key points:
- Kenin says she placed too much expectation on herself after winning the women’s title last year
- Her loss marks the earliest exit of a defending women’s champion since 2003
- Kenin praised Kaia Kanepi, saying she deserved her win
The fourth-seeded Kenin lost 6-3, 6-2 to Kaia Kanepi in just over an hour on Margaret Court Arena on Thursday afternoon.
She was outplayed by the unseeded Estonian, who slammed down 10 aces — including one on match point — to advance to the last 32 in her 12th Australian Open appearance.
Kenin is the highest seed across both the women’s and…
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