Big-hitting Sofia Kenin knocks out Ashleigh Barty

MELBOURNE: After she rocked Melbourne with her heavy hitting to pull off an upset win over the top-seeded Ashleigh Barty, the 21-year-old stepped back between doing her on court interview and gesticulated wildly to her box where her father and coach Alexander stood.
She waved her arms, covered her face and her dad's smile competed with the sun overhead. The 14th seed Sofia Kenin, however, stressed that she wasn't shocked by her 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 win in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
"It's a dream come true for me. I've always dreamed about this," Kenin said of the one-hour, 45 minute last-four clash, which, so easily, could've gone the other way. Barty, the home hope, had set points in the first set at 6-4 in the tie-break. Then in blazing hot conditions, with the temperatures pushing 40 degrees, she was serving for the second set at 5-4.

"I've worked so hard. I've put all the effort into my practices, into my fitness. It's got me here. It's paying off. I believed in myself. It's pretty emotional," Kenin said.
The Moscow-born American, who has never gone this far in a major, won three points more than Barty in the total count. That's how keen the fight was. The feisty American will face unseeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in Saturday's title clash. Muguruza, a multiple-time Grand Slam winner, came through 7-6 (10-8), 7-5 in the second semifinal against the fourth-seeded Simona Halep.
"I've played Garbine in Beijing (in September)," Kenin said of the pair's only meeting which went the young pro's way. "It was a tough match. She's playing some really good tennis right now. She's really aggressive."
Kenin's pace is fast forward. She speaks fast, is of a quick step, and often appears to be in such a hurry that is looking to play her next shot before she goes through the one she's executing. So much so that it wouldn't surprise anyone if the American said her breakthrough performance took it's time coming.
"I believed I could win even though I was two set points down in the first and second sets," Kenin said. "I could literally feel, I was telling myself, I believe in myself. If I lose the set, I'm still going to come out and believe. I did a great job with it. I didn't give up. I was fighting. I left everything on the court, so it paid off."
The Kenins - Alexander and Lena - moved to the United States in the late 80s. Lena, who worked as a nurse, returned to Moscow for the birth of Sofia just so that she could get some help in raising her daughter. It was Alexander who drew Sofia to the sport where she was quickly identified as a standout talent. Suffice to say she has lived up to expectations.