2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has received a main draw wildcard into a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, the tournament announced. Kenin, a former world No 4, is now ranked outside the top-150 and she didn’t come even near making the main draw cut for Indian Wells.
However, Kenin will still compete at this year’s Indian Wells edition after the tournament organizers decided to give her a wildcard. Kenin played in Indian Wells for the first time in 2016, when she featured in the qualifying event.
In her first-ever Indian Wells appearance, Kenin was beaten in her qualifying opener. The following year, Kenin again tried to make the Indian Wells through the qualifying event – the American was again beaten in her qualifying opener.
Kenin made her Indian Wells main draw debut in 2018
After failing to make it past the Indian Wells qualifying event in 2016 and 2017, Kenin managed to do so in 2018 as she won two qualifying matches to finally earn a main draw place in the desert.
In her Indian Wells main draw debut, Kenin won her first-round match before losing to Zhang Shuai in the second round. In 2019, Kenin for the first time came to Indian Wells not needing to play in the qualifying event. That year, Kenin won her first-round match before losing to Elina Svitolina in the second round.
In 2022, Kenin was awarded an Indian Wells main draw wildcard and she returned to the desert for the first time since 2019. In her return to Indian Wells, Kenin didn’t impress as she was beaten by Beatriz Haddad Maia in her opener.
Last month, Kenin competed in Doha and Dubai after being granted main draw wildcards into those two events. In Doha, Kenin had one very impressive win as she dismantled 12th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova 6-3 6-1. For Kenin, it was her first top-20 win since the 2020 French Open.
So far in 2023, Kenin is 5-6. It remains to be seen if Kenin can rediscover some of her old form and make a strong Indian Wells run.
