Two grand slam champions under the radar at 2023 U.S. Open

As we complete the second round of the 2023 United States Open on Thursday, there are two grand slam champions in action that are under the radar a little bit. They are reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of Sokolov, Czech Republic and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of Pembroke Pines, Florida. While the women’s tennis world is seeing the emergence of a new big three (Iga Swiatek of Poland, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan), there are several high profile players in the second tier, and among then are Vondrousova and Kenin. On Thursday, Vondrousova and Kenin will be up against grand slam semifinalists from the past.

Marketa Vondrousova vs. Martina Trevisan

Vondrousova, the ninth seed, will face the 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan of Italy in the second match on the Grandstand. This will  be their first ever meeting head-to-head. In addition to winning Wimbledon this year, Vondrousova reached the 2019 French Open final, where she lost 6-1, 6-3 to former world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia, and the gold medal match of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, where she lost 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.

Sofia Kenin vs. Daria Kasatkina

Even though Kenin is the grand slam champion in this match, she is unseeded, while Kasatkina is seeded 13th. Kasatkina’s best grand slam result was reaching the semifinals of the French Open in 2022. In addition to winning the Australian Open, Kenin reached the 2020 French Open final, where she lost 6-4, 6-1 to Swiatek. By being the only women’s tennis player to reach two grand slam finals in 2020, Kenin was named the 2020 WTA Player of the Year.

Since 2020, Kenin has been dealing with numerous injuries, and appendicitis. She is now outside of the 100 in the WTA rankings at 101. However when she is playing her best tennis, Kenin is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Head-to-head, Kenin has won two of three prior meetings. Kenin won 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of Miami in 2018, and 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of Dubai in 2019. Kasatkina won 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of Sydney in 2022. Kenin will be playing Kasatkina on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday night.