Sofia Kenin sends touching message to Amanda Anisimova after her mid-match withdrawal in Charleston Open SF

Modified Apr 06, 2025 06:27 GMT

Amanda Anisimova (L) and Sofia Kenin (R) [Source: Getty]

American tennis star Sofia Kenin is on the verge of capturing her first WTA title in years, but Amanda Anisimova's walkover win in the semifinals of the 2025 Credit One Charleston Open was not part of the plan. The US tennis star advanced to the final after Anisimova retired from their match due to back issues.

Kenin spared a moment between completing her on-court interview to be kind and compassionate and to project herself as a good image for her rival.

Kenin played the WTA 500 event as a non-seeded player and beat Bernarda Pera, 17th-seeded Belinda Bencic, fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina, and 14th-seeded Anna Kalinskaya en route to the semifinals. The all-American semifinal match between Kenin and Anisimova was, however, abandoned after 29 minutes. Anisimova looked visibly uncomfortable on court and retired with a 5-2 first-set deficit.

When making the on-court retirement courtesy in the post-game interview, Kenin shared her remarks during the occasion.

"I told her I hope she feels better and recovers well because it’s a long clay swing and she’s been playing some great tennis throughout the year. I wish her the best of luck and I really hope she feels better," Kenin said in the post match on-court interview.

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The walkover victory gave her not just the 2-1 edge on Anisimova in their head-to-head but also positioned her for the first final since October 2024.

Sofia Kenin also progressed to the quarterfinals in doubles with partner Lyudmyla Kichenok. The fourth seeds defeated Nadiia Kichenok and Aldila Sutjiadi 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, which they lost to American duo Hailey Baptiste and Caty McNally 6-7(6), 6-7(2).

Sofia Kenin will take on Jessica Pegula in the Charleston Open final

In Picture: Sofia Kenin in action during the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Source: Getty Images)

Sofia Kenin will battle top seed and fellow countrywoman Jessica Pegula in the Charleston Open final on April 6. Pegula had a first-round bye in the event before thrashing Iryna Shymanovich and Ajla Tomljanovic in the next 2 rounds. She rallied past defending champion Danielle Collins in the quarterfinal and defeated ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets to reach the Charleston final for the first time.

This will be Jessica Pegula's sixth encounter against Sofia Kenin, with the former leading the head-to-head ratio 3-2. They last met each other in the second round of the 2024 US Open, with Jessica Pegula defeating her in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-3.

About the author

Shashank, a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, joined the company about a year and a half ago. Despite his background in software engineering, his passion for the sport drove him to switch gears and dive into full-time journalism before which he worked as a tech writer.

With over 1000 articles and nearly 4 million views under his belt at SK, his stories stand out thanks to his deep dives into match stats, player tactics, and historical patterns, offering readers a fresh take every time. Above all, he is meticulous, making sure to double-check information from reliable sources before sharing it.

In Shashank's view, there's no room for debate: Novak Djokovic reigns supreme as the ultimate GOAT. He draws inspiration from the Serb's resilience, hard work, and relentless attitude, channeling those qualities into his own work.

Outside of his tennis musings, he finds joy in hitting the court himself, exploring new destinations during his travels, and watching movies.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee