Women’s tennis never been more open as Kenin stars

MEKLBOURNE: The last five women’s Grand Slams have now been won by five different players. Good luck trying to predict who triumphs at the French Open.

Sofia Kenin’s three-set victory over Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s final at the Australian Open underlined just how open the women’s game is. The young American was seeded 14th in Melbourne and her best performance at a Slam prior to this was reaching the round of 16 at Roland Garros last year.

But here the fiery 21-year-old was, beating world number one and home hope Ashleigh Barty in the semi-finals and then defeating two-time Slam champion Muguruza.

A Kenin-Muguruza final was 750-1 with British bookmakers before the tournament. Kenin’s victory was the last episode in a wildly unpredictable draw in which six of the top-10 women’s seeds, including Serena Williams and holder Naomi Osaka, went out in round three.

Moscow-born Kenin, who will now jump to seventh in the world and above Williams as the top-ranked American, has confidence in bucketfuls. The unwavering belief that she was destined for the biggest stage in tennis shone through in the past fortnight in Melbourne.

Yet she was reticent when asked if she will be the one who emerges from the pack behind the 38-year-old Williams to win multiple Major titles. There is a marked contrast between men’s and women’s tennis.

Last year’s Grand Slam titles in the women’s game were won by Osaka (Australian Open), Barty (French Open), Simona Halep (Wimbledon) and Bianca Andreescu (US Open).

Yet in the men’s game Novak Djokovic triumphed at last year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon, and Rafael Nadal won the French and US Opens. Those two, along with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, have reigned over men’s tennis for the best part of two decades.