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During Sofia Kenin's defeat in the 2023 San Diego Open final, her father Alexander's appearance caught the attention of former doubles World No. 1 Pam Shriver.
Following her second round exit from the 2023 US Open, Kenin returned to the court at the WTA 500 San Diego Open. The American kicked off her campaign with a dominant 6-4, 6-4 win over sixth seed Veronika Kudermetova. Subsequently, she battled back from being one-set down to beat Katie Volynets 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The 24-year-old advanced to the semifinals after defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-3. Kenin then secured a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over fellow American Emma Navarro to reach her first WTA final in three years, since her runner-up finish at the 2020 French Open.
On Saturday, September 16, Sofia Kenin took on fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the WTA 500 event. The American fell short of clinching her sixth career singles title as Krejcikova claimed a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win in two hours and 38 minutes. With her win, the Czech extended her perfect record against the former World No. 4 to 2-0.
During the title clash, Pam Shriver posted a screengrab on social media, showing Sofia Kenin's father, Alexander, appearing visibly upset with his head in his hand. Shriver criticized his "disheveled" appearance, arguing that such a display was particularly inappropriate while watching his daughter compete in a final.
"A coach or Dad should not look this disheveled while watching their kid play...especially in a final. (Btw don't show me when my kid is playing a big final at 4-4 in final set!)" Shriver posted.
Sofia Kenin set to compete at Guadalajara Open 2023 next
Sofia Kenin will be in action at the Guadalajara Open next. The WTA 1000 event is scheduled to be held in Mexico from September 17-23.
The American will kick off her campaign against Canada's Carol Zhao in the first round. Should the 24-year-old emerge victorious against Zhao, she will take on the winner of the match between 12th seed Anhelina Kalinina and Grace Min.
With the tournament being held only one week after the conclusion of the 2023 US Open, several top-10 players have chosen to withdraw from the event, including defending champion Jessica Pegula, US Open champion Coco Gauff and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova also do not feature on the WTA 1000 event's entry list.
In their absence, Kenin will be joined by top seeds Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara.
