The Women’s final is set! On one corner we have Sofia Kenin. This is her coming out party. She is for real, has lots of fight in her, and a game to back it up. On the other corner, two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza, who is playing high level tennis once again. 

Kenin’s road to final:

Kenin has been on people’s radar for a few months now, winning three WTA titles last year and posting excellent results against top ranked players. Now she’s playing like a favorite, not a talented underdog. She got through some talented players on the road to the final, including Coco Gauff. However, her signature win came in the semifinal against Barty. 

Barty’ serve and slice was on fire, but Kenin’s resolve overcame both weapons from the number one player in the world. Kenin is super scrappy too, and makes people play every ball. She seems to be peaking at this point, and the win against Barty will give her incredible confidence going into the final. Let’s talk about Muguruza now.

Muguruza’s road to final:

Muguruza has gone through a much deeper draw, beating four seeded players in #5 Svitolina, #30 Pavlyuchenkova, #9 Bertens, and #4 Simona Halep. As such, Muguruza will go into this final as a heavy favorite. Also, she’s reunited with Conchita Martinez for the 2020 season, and if her performance thus far is any indication, Muguruza is showing us strong signs of the form that allowed her to win both the French and Wimbledon titles. In the end, Muguruza may prove too strong for Kenin. On paper, Muguruza has more power off the ground strokes, a bigger serve, and more experience. 

Who will win?

I can’t help but think that Kenin’s intangible may be the difference in this final. Kenin will make Muguruza hit the extra ball, just like she did with Barty. She will play every point with a high intensity and will not be afraid to take it to Muguruza.  This will be a hard contested final, however, I have to give Kenin the edge.