Tokyo — Sofia Kenin, the former champion of the Australian Open, maintained her undefeated streak against Wang Xinyu by securing a convincing victory with scores of 6-1, 6-4 in their first-round matchup at the Pan Pacific Open on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old American, who triumphed at the Australian Open in 2020 and reached the finals of the French Open that same year, notched her fourth consecutive win over Wang. Kenin had previously defeated the 10th-seeded Chinese player twice at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023, as well as in Auckland, New Zealand, last year.

In 2020, Kenin claimed the Grand Slam title at the Australian Open after defeating Garbiñe Muguruza in the final, although she later faced defeat at the hands of Iga Swiatek in the French Open’s championship match a few months after her Australian success.

Following her Australian Open victory, she attained her highest career ranking of No. 4. However, a series of injuries over the last few years saw her ranking decline, and she now sits at No. 155. Additionally, Kenin’s 2021 U.S. Open campaign was cut short due to a COVID-19 withdrawal.

Joining Kenin in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open are Canadian players Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez, both of whom won their opening matches on Monday. Andreescu famously defeated Serena Williams to claim the U.S. Open title in 2019.

This year’s top-seeded player in the Pan Pacific Open is Zheng Qinwen, an Olympic gold medalist, bringing a highly competitive edge to the tournament.