Tennis star heartbroken as she quits game day before Japan Open grand final | Tennis | sport

Sofia Kenin burst into tears on Saturday after suffering an injury the day before her Japan Open final.

The American scored big wins over Daria Kasatkina and Katie Boulter to set up a final against top seed Qinwen Zheng on Sunday. And the stakes are high as Kenin hasn’t won a WTA singles tournament since the Lyon Open more than four years ago.

Before the big showdown, Kenin ran into trouble in her women’s doubles semi-final alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The American pair were trailing 5-2 in the first set against Laura Siegemund and Ena Shibahara when Kenin decided she could not continue.

Realizing that not only had she missed the chance at another doubles title, but her singles campaign was also in jeopardy, Kenin cried on court as Siegemund and Shibahara secured a safe berth in the doubles final.

When the singles final takes place, Kenin must do her best to beat the odds and topple Zheng. Kenin is still outside the world top 150, while Zheng is ranked seventh.

Injuries and form problems caused Kenin to fall from a career-high fourth place in the world rankings in March 2020. At the time, she had just come off a torrid 18-month period in which she won five WTA Tour titles and an Australian Open. Two months later she lost the French Open final to Iga Swiatek.

Kenin’s entry into the final of the Japan Open came completely out of the blue. Before arriving in Tokyo, the Florida-based competitor suffered back-to-back first-round exits at the Japan Women’s Open and Wuhan Open, just a continuation of a frustrating singles season.

She battled through three seeded opponents to reach this weekend’s final and it remains to be seen whether she can recover in time for the competition.

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