“Love Roland Garros With All My Heart” – Sofia Kenin After Losing to Iga Swiatek in the Finals

A passionate Sofia Kenin broke down on the court after a heartbreaking loss in the French Open 2020 finals against 19-year-old Iga Swiatek. Kenin showed the fighting qualities that she is known for but was simply beaten by the better player on the day.

The challenge of Swiatek loomed large on Kenin before the match. While Kenin played four three-set battles on her way to the final, Swiatek had dropped just 23 games and won all six matches in straight sets. The most number of games the youngster dropped in a set was four.

An emotional Sofia Kenin speaks after her loss

Kenin was in tears as she sat on the chair right after the pleasantries at the net. She gathered her thoughts after a few minutes and proceeded to the trophy ceremony. Kenin expressed her appreciation towards the organizers and her love for the tournament.

“I love Roland Garros with all my heart. Thank you guys so much for everything. You really make it special to play for us,” Kenin said after receiving the runner-up trophy.

She praised Swiatek for her brilliant win. “I just want to congratulate Iga on a great tournament, a great match. You played really well. Congrats to you and your team,” Kenin said.

The 22-year-old felt good to see the crowd after so long. “I would like to thank the crowd. It was finally good to see you guys with this whole pandemic,” Kenin continued.

Beaten by the better player on the day

The Polish player signaled how she would approach the entire match from the very start. Swiatek went 3-0 up in no time. The Australian Open 2020 champion, Kenin fought back soon after with three quick games of her own to level proceedings at 3-3.

In the first eight games, not once did the two players share two consecutive games as Swiatek won two games in a row again to go up 5-3. Kenin was not done just yet, though, as she saved a set-point before breaking back for 5-4.

However, a poor game behind serve followed from Kenin as Swiatek won her 13th consecutive set of the fortnight.

The fourth seed broke Swiatek’s serve in the very first game of the second set, only to be broken back right away. What followed was sheer domination from the Polish player, who won five games in a hurry as Kenin had no answers to her opponent’s game.

Kenin managed only 10 winners to 23 unforced errors throughout the match. Meanwhile, Swiatek smashed 25 winners to just 17 unforced errors, indicating her domination on the day.

Kenin finishes the Grand Slam season with a title and a runner-up finish in two of the three majors played this year.