Kenin on to Fed Cup clash after AO victory: "I just can't believe what happened,”

Sofia Kenin is on a high right now after her victory in the Australian Open. She'll trade in the Aussie east coast for the American west coast where the U.S. will face Latvia in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Qualifiers.

Kenin is projected to be the World No. 7 after her 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in Mebourne. That ranking makes her the U.S. No. 1 singles player, overtaking Serena Williams, her idol.

“Everything is just still a blur for me. I just can't believe what happened,” Kenin said following her triumph at Melbourne Park. “Yeah, it's just great. I feel like I'm doing some great things for American tennis. It's such an honour."

“I've watched Serena. I've been following her, all the slams she's been winning. It's a special feeling just to be ahead of her. I'm just super excited – I can't wait to compete, be on the same team with her in Fed Cup.”

Kenin, whose history with USA’s Fed Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi stretches back to her youth, made her debut in the competition in the 2018 final defeat by the Czech Republic.

“It's such an honour just to be a part of the team,” Kenin said, “When she invited me to Prague to play for the final, I feel like after that I really got to experience what it's like. It was a huge stage, the best arena. It was an honour for me to be a part of it.

“Kathy, yes, I love her. It's such an honour for me to go to Fed Cup. I love coming there. I love being on the team with her. It's such a great team spirit. I'm sure she's going to give me the biggest hug once I get there and just tell me, ‘I always believed in you, kiddo – let's take this Fed Cup now.’”

The American team is now a very strong side - Kenin, along with Williams, the roster also includes 15-year-old debutant Coco Gauff, world No.19 Alison Riske and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They'll line up against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova, alongside Diana Marcinkevica and Daniela Vismane.

The winner of the tie will qualify for the 12-team Fed Cup Finals in Budapest next April. “It’s going to be a tough match-up, but hopefully we have a chance to win,” Kenin said. “I know the girls on the team, so we’ll see how it goes," Kenin said.

“The new format, I think it’s exciting. Everyone in one place, it brings a lot of people there and it’s going to be quite busy. There will be a lot of entertainment and a lot of fans there, so hopefully we get there. It would be just amazing to play there. The Fed Cup final in 2018 was the best experience. There were a lot of emotions on court, so I’d love to play in a final again.

“Playing Fed Cup is completely different. I feel like I’m representing my country, I feel like I have a team – there are so many people behind me, especially with Kathy on the bench. So there’s a lot of emotions, and you can feel it – with the crowd supporting you, you really feel it’s Fed Cup, and you don’t want to let your team down. Sometimes I even cry! It’s kind of emotional.”

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