Kenin, 21, showed plenty of grit on that warm February night at Melbourne Park to fight her way back from a set down to beat Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the Australian Open final, reports Reuters.
But on Saturday she could do little as the unseeded Swiatek, ranked 54th at the start of the tournament, blazed Court Philippe Chatrier with winners.
“Well, of course Australia was very special. Here was obviously really difficult. She was giving interview, and I was just sitting on the bench and crying,” fourth seed Kenin told reporters.
“Obviously I had a lot of emotions. I tried my best to not cry (while Swiatek was giving her victory) speech and everything. At the end I cried. “It’s not easy. I wish I would have held that beautiful trophy. It’s not easy when you were so close to win the title and you lost it. But it is what it is.” Kenin came into the match with her left thigh heavily taped and she also took a medical timeout after the third game of the second set, returning to the court with even more strapping.
She was, however, not ready to use the leg problem as an excuse.
“Today after the first set I just felt it was so tight, I couldn’t move,” she said. “That’s why I had to call the trainer. It just got worse. (But) Like I said, she played really well. All credit to her.”
