Kenin's victory follows recent Grand Slam wins by Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca AndreescuGETTY IMAGES
U.S.-born Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin leaves Australia as tennis' "newest superstar," as she becomes the "latest in a crop of developing young stars to win a Grand Slam," according to D'Arcy Maine of ESPN.com. Kenin's victory follows recent Grand Slam wins by Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Bianca Andreescu. Maine: "It seems as if the future has arrived and will be the force to be reckoned with for many years ahead" (ESPN.com, 2/1). The AFP's Peter Stebbings noted the last five women's Grand Slams now have been won by five different players, as the Australian Open "underlined just how open the women's game is." But there remains a "marked contrast between men's and women's tennis" (AFP, 2/2). SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote Kenin's win "ultimately speaks well of the WTA" (SI.com, 2/1). In DC, Ava Wallace wrote under the header, "Sofia Kenin Announces Herself As A New American Contender With Australian Open Title" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/2). The AP's Howard Fendrich noted Kenin "might have been overlooked by some before," when younger Americans such as Coco Gauff, 15, and Amanda Anisimova, 18, were "making deep runs at majors and gaining all the attention" (AP, 2/1).
