Sofia Kenin downs Garbine Muguruza to win her first grand slam at Australian Open

American Sofia Kenin counterpunched her way back from a set down against Garbine Muguruza to win her first grand slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Kenin, seeded 14th at Melbourne Park, converted her second match point against the twice grand slam champion, who double faulted on the final point, to end an engrossing contest that lasted more than two hours.

Kenin and Muguruza produced a fitting and intense final under the closed roofs of a packed Rod Laver Arena.

Muguruza had arrived in Melbourne suffering from a virus that forced her to quit the Hobart International, but the Spaniard was soon back to playing to her strength which helped her reach the top of the women’s rankings in 2017.

Some of the inconsistency that led to her slipping to 36th in the rankings last year resurfaced against Kenin, however, as the Spaniard blew hot and cold with her serve, getting 57 per cent of her first serves in while mixing her nine aces with eight double faults.

Kenin came to the match with a game plan, mixing deft drop shots with her deep forehand groundstrokes to catch Muguruza by surprise initially.

But the Spaniard soon found her range and converted her third breakpoint in the third game to nose ahead in the opening set.