'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Sofia Kenin expressed delight on reaching the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon. The American tennis player felt that the results so far at the grass court Major have been essential in proving her critics wrong.
Following her impressive first-round win over seventh-seed Coco Gauff, Kenin squared off against Wang Xinyu on Thursday (July 6). The American eased past the 21-year-old in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to secure a place in the third round.
During her post-match press conference, Sofia Kenin stated that she felt 'super proud' of her performance and expressed satisfaction on seeing her hard work getting paid off.
"Yeah, obviously I'm super excited," she said. "Just trying to prove some people wrong. Just super proud of myself with the way I really fought, you know, through to get here and keep the momentum going. Yeah, I'm just putting in the hard work and it's paying off."
Kenin acknowledged that her results haven't been the best this year. However, she feels confident in her overall game and looks to continue fighting forward.
"I didn't have maybe the best results, but I felt like this year, you know, I started off pretty good overall and I just had to find my way. I have been fighting it. Yeah, just hope that I can keep it going," Sofia Kenin continued.
The former Australian Open champion went on to claim that she knew better results would come her way if the necessary work was put in.
"I mean, honestly, I just feel like I had to click," she added. "Like I said, I started off the year pretty good. Then, yeah, I mean, I feel like I needed more matches. And, you know, I knew if I put in the work and do the right things, eventually, it's going to click, and I'm super happy it's clicking here."
Sofia Kenin to face Elina Svitolina in Wimbledon 3R
Sofia Kenin will hope to continue her fine run at Wimbledon when she faces Elina Svitolina in the third round on Friday (July 7). This will be the duo's sixth encounter on the tour, with the Ukranian holding a slim 3-2 advantage in the head-to-head.
The first meeting between the two saw Svitolina register a comeback win over Kenin in the 2019 Indian Wells second round. The duo met on four more occasions that year.
Kenin got the better of the Ukranian at the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open but ended up on the losing side at the China Open and the WTA Finals.
Svitolina comes into Friday's clash on the back of impressive wins over Venus Williams and Elise Mertens in the first and second rounds, respectively. She has been promising ever since her return to the tour in April.
The Ukranian's win-loss record this season currently stands at 14-8.
