Austria’s Sinja Kraus secured a spot in the main draw of the WTA 250 hardcourt tournament in Osaka, Japan, by defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 7:6 (7:4), 6:4 in the final round of qualifying on Sunday. Das starke Jahr von Sinja Kraus findet seine Fortsetzung in Osaka, und Sinja Kraus steht im Hauptfeld in Osaka.

Victory Over the Former World Number Four

Sinja Kraus booked her place in the main draw following a 1-hour and 38-minute battle against top-qualifying opponent Sofia Kenin, as reported by Heute. The first set went to a tight tiebreak where the 24-year-old Viennese player prevailed 7:4, before closing out the second set 6:4. Kenin, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park in 2020 and climbed to a career-high ranking of fourth in the world, entered the match ranked No. 125 following a stretch of injuries and physical setbacks. Kenin has lost a lot of ground to the world elite in recent years due to injuries and health problems, and the 27-year-old American won the Australian Open in 2020. Kraus is currently already on position 75 in the WTA charts.

Climbing the WTA Rankings and Approaching Career Highs

The successful qualifying run in Osaka follows a strong stretch of form for Kraus, who recently achieved a personal best ranking of No. 75. According to tennisnet.com, Kraus reached the round of 16 at a tournament in Beijing prior to arriving in Japan, where she fell in a three-set match against Nikola Bartunkova. Her current standing secures her a direct entry into the main draw of the 2027 Australian Open, a significant shift from having to contest the qualifying rounds at the start of the current season.

Opening Round Opponents in Osaka

Following the conclusion of the qualifying matches, the main draw pairings for the Japanese tournament were finalized. Kraus advances to face American player Caty McNally in the opening round on Monday, according to oe24. Meanwhile, fellow Austrian player Lilli Tagger also earned a spot in the hardcourt event but drew a difficult opening assignment against fifth-seeded Russian player Liudmila Samsonova. The East Tyrolean meets the fifth-seeded Russian Lyudmila Samsonova at the start of the WTA tournament in Osaka.

Tournament Schedule and Next Steps

Both Kraus and Tagger are scheduled to take the court for their respective main draw opening matches on Monday in Osaka. Kraus enters her encounter with McNally carrying momentum from her straight-sets victory over Kenin, while Tagger prepares for a challenging test against the tournament’s fifth seed.