At one stage bookmakers had the odds of these two participating in the Australian Open final at 750-1. Nevertheless, Garbine Muguruza and Sofia Kenin will lock horns on the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday for a chance to lift the title. The Spanish former world No.1 has the experience of previously playing in a major final on multiple occasions. However, the aggressively playing Kenin should never be ruled out.
Two-and-a-half years ago, Muguruza seemed on the verge of greatness. At the age of 23, she had just won her second Major at Wimbledon, having defeated Venus and Serena Williams in those championship matches. However, she would not advance beyond the fourth round at the next six Slams, and came into this event unseeded due to her drop in the rankings. But since reuniting with Conchita Martinez in the off-season, she’s been her old self again. Despite battling a virus in the first few days of this tournament, she has blown through this draw, defeating three top 10 players without dropping a set since the second round.
A year ago, Kenin was a relatively-unknown name. She started 2019 ranked outside the top 50, though she quickly made a name for herself by winning her first WTA title in the second week of January. Kenin would win three titles in total last year, while her biggest win may have been her upset of Serena Williams at the French Open. There’s nothing overly flashy or overwhelming about her game, but she doesn’t have any significant weaknesses, and is one of the WTA’s feistiest competitors. Her grit was on full display in the semifinals, when she saved set points in both sets to take out the world No.1. Sofia has dropped only one set on her path to the biggest match of her life.
Sofia Kenin (14) vs. Garbine Muguruza
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Kenin leads their head-to-head 1-0, having defeated Muguruza in three sets on a hard court just a few months ago in Beijing. Of course Garbine has a considerable experience edge on this stage, with this being her fourth Major final. She’s faced an American in all four of her career Slam finals, though this will be the first against someone not named Williams. The forecast for Saturday evening is cool with a strong chance of rain. The heat of the last few days definitely won’t be a factor, and this may become an indoor final. That may not give either player an edge, but it should enable some quality play. Muguruza has been the better player this fortnight, and if we’re being honest, Kenin is a bit lucky to be in this championship match. She did not play well in the semifinals, due to nerves as well as the oppressive heat, and took advantage of a subpar performance from Ash Barty. Garbine has been playing with a swagger that has been missing from her game of late, but it’s back and she can be almost unstoppable when she’s in this form. She should be able to easily dictate play with her power. Muguruza is a strong favorite to win her third Major, and bring herself one US Open away from the career Grand Slam.
The journey so far
Muguruza ESP
Age: 26
World ranking: 32
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
WTA titles: 7
Australian Open run so far:-
First round: beat Shelby Rogers (U.S.) 0-6 6-1 6-0
Second round: beat Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia) 6-3 3-6 6-3
Third round: beat (5) Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 6-1 6-2
Fourth round: beat (9) Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-3 6-3
Quarter-final: beat (30) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) 7-5 6-3
Semi-final: beat (4) Simona Halep (Romania) 7-6(8) 7-5
Kenin USA
Age: 21
World ranking: 15
Grand Slam titles: 0
WTA titles: 3
Australian Open run so far :-
First round: beat Martina Trevisan (Italy) 6-2 6-4
Second round: beat Li Ann (U.S.) 6-1 6-3
Third round: beat Zhang Shuai (China) 7-5 7-6(7)
Fourth round: beat Coco Gauff (U.S.) 6-7(5) 6-3 6-0
Quarter-final: beat Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) 6-4 6-4
Semi-final: beat (1) Ash Barty (Australia) 7-6(6) 7-5