Child prodigy Sofia Kenin made waves after winning the 2020 Australian Open and finishing as the runners-up at the 2020 French Open. However, her tile defence at Melbourne this year went terribly wrong.

The defending champion could not even compete, so to say, at the 2021 Australian Open and was knocked out after a defeat against Kaia Kanepi in the second round, with an unflattering final score of 3-6 2-6.

The world number 4 lost her service thrice in the game, as the match was done and dusted in just over an hour.

After a disappointing start to the season, Kenin was in tears at the post match press conference, conceding that the pressure to play as defending champion played a major role in her loss to Kanepi.

"I felt that I was not there, my head was not there. I don't want to take away any credit from her, she played well on the important points. I have had opportunities but I have not been able to exploit them and I also know the reason, which is why the nerves have got the better of me."

"I felt like everyone was asking me: Would you like to win again? Do you see yourself out there winning again? Obviously yes. But the way I played today, no. I knew I couldn't really handle the pressure. It went well in Paris. I was under pressure there too, but not like here. I think the trip to Australia was something I always had in my eyes, something I was aiming for. I knew I would feel the pressure, the emotions, the nervousness, all together."

Kenin had begun to make ripples even as a junior player. She reached No. 2 in the world after winning the Orange Bowl at the age of 16 and ending up as runner-up in the 2015 US Open girls' singles event the next year.

At just 22, Kenin will bounce back strongly from this defeat, and deep down, she knows it: "Australian swing definitely got the better of me. Is absurd. I trained for two weeks, I was lucky enough to be able to do it. I felt good in training, but I just couldn't replicate those feelings in the match. Obviously I'm not used to that, so I just have to figure out how to play at the level I can play at."