"F**king dumba**es" - Sofia Kenin blasts Italian Open officials for forcing play on wet court in rain-hit 1R clash, fires back at booing crowd

Sofia Kenin vehemently lambasted tournament officials for forcing her to compete in wet court conditions during her first-round match at the Italian Open. The American also fired back at the hostile Rome crowd after being booed heavily as she faced home-favorite Lucia Bronzetti.

Kenin took on Bronzetti in her opening match at the WTA 1000 event. The American didn't make the ideal start to the contest, conceding a break early in the opening set. She got an opportunity to potentially level the scores, as Bronzetti served at 40-40, 3-2.

However, the former World No. 4 voiced safety concerns about continuing play amid the wet conditions. Yet, Kenin's protests fell on deaf ears, as the tournament officials disregarded her worries and asked for play to continue.

The 25-year-old made her dissatisfaction with the decision known, shouting expletives at the tournament officials as she resumed play, prompting loud boos from the crowd. Nevertheless, her wish was granted when play was halted shortly after due to rain.

"Fu**ing dumba**es people literally," she yelled.

As play resumed amid continued booing for Kenin, she fired back at the hostile crowd after breaking back to level the scores at 3-3, yelling "f**k you."

Sofia Kenin eventually overcame her confrontation with the officials as well the hostile crowd to claim a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory in one hour and 39 minutes.

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Sofia Kenin to take on Ons Jabeur in Italian Open 2R

Sofia Kenin

Sofia Kenin will continue her Italian Open campaign against eighth seed Ons Jabeur in the second round, following the Tunisian's first-round bye.

The American enjoys a dominant lead in her head-to-head record against Jabeur, winning five of their seven tour-level encounters. However, the Tunisian triumphed in their most recent clash at the 2021 Miami Open, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Jabeur also achieved a better result at the recently concluded Madrid Open, making a run to the quarterfinals before being ousted by Madison Keys. Kenin, meanwhile, crashed out of the WTA 1000 event in the first round, suffering a resounding 6-3, 6-4 loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

The American took part in the Catalonia Open as the sixth seed after her early exit in Madrid. However, she failed to make a mark at the WTA 125 tournament, losing 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 to Ashlyn Krueger in the second round.

If Sofia Kenin records her sixth career win over Ons Jabeur, she will likely face Katie Boulter in the third round of the Italian Open.