05 March 2020

Sofia Kenin secures first WTA event win since Australian Open with victory over Vitalia Diatchenko in Lyon

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin won her first match at a WTA event since her maiden Grand Slam triumph as she beat Vitalia Diatchenko at the Lyon Open.

The 21 year-old swatted aside her Russian opponent 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes to move into the second round where she will face Romania's Jaqueline Adina Cristian.

And Kenin, who had lost her last three matches prior to the tournament, was relieved to have finally broken a disappointing streak.

She said: "I didn't have the best two weeks. But I had some tough opponents on a streak of playing some hot tennis and I was close, so it wasn't like I lost to someone who was no good.

"I'm just happy to have gotten the win. I'm happy, I played a really good match - she's such a tough player, so I'm really proud of myself - it's a good way to kick things off."

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