Sofia Kenin joins an exclusive club of only 16 players in history
Sofia Kenin has achieved something that very few players can claim in their career records. The American has become the 16th tennis player in history capable of defeating both Serena Williams and Venus Williams in a Grand Slam tournament, a statistic that gains even more significance due to the stature of the two sisters in tennis history.
Kenin completed this unique feat just hours ago by defeating Venus Williams in the first round of the US Open 2026, winning 6-2 and 7-6. The victory came in a particularly symbolic setting, New York, one of the historic territories of the Williams sisters and the tournament where both wrote some of the most important pages of their careers.
To find her victory over Serena, we have to go back to the Australian Open 2020, a tournament that would become unforgettable for Kenin. The American then defeated Serena in the third round 6-2, 7-5 and subsequently claimed the first and only Grand Slam title of her career so far, beating Garbiñe Muguruza in the final.
The list of players who had previously succeeded in overcoming both sisters is, in itself, a collection of legendary names. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Ekaterina Makarova, Ana Ivanovic, Sloane Stephens, Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Simona Halep, and Qiang Wang form the exclusive group that Sofia Kenin has just joined.
This fact also puts into perspective the longevity of the Williams sisters. Serena and Venus dominated for decades and faced entire generations of great champions. Therefore, managing to defeat both in a Grand Slam is not merely a statistical curiosity; it signifies having surpassed two of the figures that defined an era. Kenin, the Australian Open champion at just 21 years old, thus reappears on a list reserved for players capable of leaving a mark against two of the greatest legends in history.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sofia Kenin entra en un selecto club de solo 16 jugadoras en la historia