At 21, Sofia Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open, beating Garbine Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to become the youngest American woman to win a major since Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2002. Born in Moscow and raised in Florida, coached from childhood by her father Alexander, she built a game of angles and timing rather than power: the backhand down the line, the return taken early, and a competitor's scowl that never softens. Weeks later she stood at a career-high No. 4, and that October she reached the Roland Garros final, beaten by Iga Swiatek.
The fall was as steep as the climb. She lost early as defending champion in Melbourne in 2021, and injuries pushed her outside the top 200 by 2022. The road back has been slow: all 5 of her career titles came before the slide, but in 2025 she reached the Charleston final, stopped by Jessica Pegula. At 27 she is still on tour in 2026, chasing the second act the hard way.
Five hundred and eighty. That is the ranking of Thea Frodin, the wildcard who opens the US Open against second seed Elena Rybakina. The women's singles draw was made today, ahead of the tournament's start on 30 August, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and defending champion, opening against Camila Osorio.
Draw tale