‘I’ve Matured’: With New Outlook, Sofia Kenin Into First Clay Final in Five Years

When American Sofia Kenin steps onto court for Sunday’s Credit One Charleston Open final, it’ll be her first on clay in nearly five years – since the French Open in 2020.

Now 26, the Floridian says that while her patented focused stride between points on court is unchanged, she as a person off of it has. In many ways.

“I’ve grown up a bit; I’ve matured,” Kenin told reporters after advancing to the championship, where she and top seed Jess Pegula will contest the tournament’s first all-American final since Martina Navratilova and Jennifer Capriati in 1990.

While she’s reached hard court finals in Tokyo (2024) and San Diego (2023) since her glittering 2020 season, Kenin has been through a roller coaster with her results.

She entered this season with a new mentality: “This year, I’ve tried to just set small goals to climb up the ranks. At the start of the year, the goal was to be seeded at French Open.”

Having been world No. 81 to start the season, she entered Charleston at 44th thanks in part to quarterfinals efforts in Hobart and Dubai. She’s guaranteed to be No. 34 with her finals effort – and could climb into the top 30 with a victory.

A tournament title would be her first since Lyon in March of 2020, just weeks after her stunning triumph at the Australian Open, where she beat then-world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Garbiñe Muguruza, Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur (among others) en route.

She said she’s tried to look to recent AO champ and compatriot Madison Keys – as well as Pegula – as role models. Not just on court; off of it, too.

“I look up to Jess and Madi,” she said. “I feel like they have a lot of life experience. I see the values [they have] in life and how things work. They’re my role models… and of course, a lot of other people, too.”

Kenin has found mentors on the doubles court, too. This week she played with Ukrainian veteran Lyudmyla Kichenok, former world No. 3 in doubles, while much of last year she played with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the American who is 14 years her senior.

While she and Bethanie won titles at Abu Dhabi and Miami, Kenin said she’s been hoping success would come again on the singles court.

“Last year definitely was hard to have much joy because obviously I’m a full singles player and my singles wasn’t ideal,” she said. “But I think doubles definitely helped me for this year.”

The next two months – as the tour shifts to clay – “is going to be good swing” for me, Kenin said, breaking into a smile. “I’m very excited for it to be honest.”

Kenin hits with easy power and moves well. She absorbs pace and can send it back. On clay, her drop shot can be lethal, something tournament ambassador Shelby Rogers pointed out to her on Tennis Channel.

“How do you get so good at drop shots?” Rogers asked coyly.

“It’s all about a target,” Kenin replied. She suggested a basket to try and drop shot the ball into… a can, a cone…

“Any target,” Kenin mused.

Her metaphorical target is clear on Sunday: The Credit One Charleston Open trophy.

What would it feel like to win the title here? Especially against someone like Pegula whom she admires?

“Of course, it would be amazing,” she said. “I’m obviously going to do the best I can to get the title. I got to the final and [now] I’m just going to go for it. Regardless of what happens, I’m really happy with this week and [will] take every positive thing that I’ve done here.”