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Patna : World No 15 Sofia Kenin, 21, stunned top seed & World No 1 Ashleigh Barty, 23, Australia, in semi-finals on January 30, 2020, to reach the final of Australian Open (AO) 2020, her first Grand Slam Final.
Kenin, the 14th seed, beat Barty in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in 1hr 45 minutes in a tough contest in first semi-finals at Rod laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Barty, who has won 8 WTA titles, made 21 unforced errors in the first set.
Kenin, who won 3 singles title on WTA tour in 2019, won 2 break points in the match to 1 by Barty. Playing in her first Grand Slam SFs, Kenin also won 4 games in a row in the match to 3 by the Australian. Barty, however, fired 8 Aces in the match to 2 by the American.
Born in Moscow, Kenin won 53 service points to 52 by the World No 1. The American, known for her aggressive style of playing tennis, saved set point in both the sets. Kenin was trailing in first set tie-break but won 4 points in a row to win the set. The American saved two set points in 2nd set too.