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Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs praised Sofia Kenin for her performance against Elena Rybakina in the second round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open.
Kenin received a wildcard into the main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament and won her opening match 6-4, 6-1 against compatriot Sloane Stephens. She next faced reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina, and lost 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in an intense match that lasted two hours and 10 minutes.
Despite her defeat, Kenin produced a fine performance and did not let Rybakina win without a struggle. The 24-year-old's performance impressed Rennae Stubbs, who took to social media to praise her.
The Aussie opined that Kenin was capable of going toe-to-toe against the very best even though she is still recovering to her original level, adding that having Michael Joyce as her coach would make a big difference.
"Awesome to see @SofiaKenin making a match of this. Shows you how close she still is to the best. Great to see @mikejoyce73 coaching her too. Going to make a big difference," Stubbs tweeted.
Michael Joyce is a former tennis player himself, attaining a career-best singles ranking of World No. 64 in his modest career. He retired from tennis in 2003, following which he has gone on to become quite a successful coach.
Joyce's most successful coaching stint was the seven years he spent with Maria Sharapova from 2004-2011. Under his tutelage, the Russian won three Grand Slam singles titles and became the World No. 1, among other achievements.
Following his split with Sharapova, Joyce coached Jessica Pegula from 2012-2017. Other players who have benefited from his watchful eye include Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard and Johanna Konta.
Meanwhile, the Kazakh will next face either Paula Badosa or Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Sofia Kenin has won 6 out of 13 matches so far in 2023
Sofia Kenin has won 6 out of 13 matches so far during the 2023 season. Her best outing came at the Hobart International, where she reached the semifinals with wins over Zhu Lin, Maryna Zanevska and Anhelina Kalinina before losing to eventual runner-up Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
All of Sofia Kenin's victories so far this season have come against higher-ranked players, including Liudmila Samsonova, who was the World No. 15 when the 2020 Australian Open champion beat her 6-3, 6-1 at the Qatar Open.
Kenin, who fell out of the Top 400 of the WTA rankings due to poor form and injuries, has made a return to the top 200 and is currently 170th. The American will next compete at the Miami Open where she is entered using a protected ranking.
