Sofia Kenin plays a backhand during her Women's Singles quarterfinals match against Danielle Collins at the 2020 French Open on Oct. 7, 2020 in Paris.
The fourth time was the charm for Sofia Kenin, who scored her first win over fellow American Danielle Collins and booked her place in the French Open semifinals for the first time in her career.
No 4 Kenin won 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 over Collins, who also turned in a career-best performance at the French Open by making the quarterfinals. Collins had held a 3-0 career record over Kenin, with their most recent meeting coming earlier this year in the second round of the Adelaide International.
Kenin needed just one break in the first set to take it, the first set she had ever won against Collins, and it looked like that might be enough for her to go on to win. Kenin again broke in the second set’s fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. But Collins broke right back and went on to win, breaking again in a tense final game.
Collins wasn’t able to sustain her momentum, however, as Kenin broke to the tune of 40-0 right out of the gate in the third set and never looked back. Collins fell behind 4-0 at which point she called for a trainer and received treatment off court for what appeared to be an abdominal injury. Collins would return but couldn’t stop Kenin as she cruised to victory.
This is the third year in a row at least one U.S. woman has advanced to the semis at Roland Garros. Kenin, a 2014 Youth Olympian, will face No. 7 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. Kenin is 0-2 lifetime against Kvitova, with their last meeting coming in the 2019 Madrid Open. No U.S. woman has won the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.