Tauson’s 20 Aces Send Sofia Kenin Packing in Dubai Opener
On Monday morning (Feb. 16, 2026 ET) Clara Tauson served up a statement win in the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, blasting 20 aces to defeat Sofia Kenin in a first-round match that combined high-octane serving with tense tactical swings. Tauson, the No. 12 seed, closed out the victory after taking a tight first-set tiebreak and asserting control in the second set.
Serving clinic decides a fragile opening set
Tauson leaned on her serve from the outset, firing 13 of her eventual 20 aces in the opening set and forcing Kenin into a defensive position at key moments. Kenin kept pace through the middle of the set, holding rallies and pressuring the Dane until the score reached 5-5, when the match’s momentum began to tilt. Tauson lost serve at 5-6 but immediately broke back to force a tiebreak, where her serve proved decisive once more. Two aces helped Tauson capture the breaker 7-4, giving her the early edge and a psychological boost going into set two.
Second set control and decisive moments
The decisive phase arrived in the second set, when Tauson settled into a more consistent rhythm off both wings and began to move Kenin around the court. An early break in the first game put Tauson up 2-0 and left the American visibly frustrated. Tauson consolidated that edge, then added another break to lead 5-2 and moved to serve out the match. True to form, she finished with an ace — her 20th of the match — a tidy capstone to a performance dominated by one weapon.
Kenin showed fight in stretches but was unable to find another gear when return opportunities mattered most. Her attempts to disrupt Tauson’s momentum were undermined by the heavy serve and the Dane’s improved court positioning in the second set.
Implications for Kenin and the draw
The loss is an unwelcome result for Sofia Kenin, who entered the event ranked in the lower end of the top 30 and with a win-loss ledger that has left room for improvement this season. Tauson’s victory keeps her campaign in Dubai alive — and preserves valuable ranking points she needed after reaching the final here last year. The Dane will face another American, Peyton Stearns, in the second round; that line-up promises another test of Tauson’s form and whether her serve can carry her deeper into the week.
For Kenin, the defeat underscores the need to sharpen returns and change patterns against opponents with a high-octane serve. The Dubai draw is unforgiving early on, and an opening-round exit will force a recalibration ahead of the next events on the calendar.
Tauson was frank about her performance after the match, noting that while her serve was a bright spot, other elements of her game required work. Her composure on big points and the raw power behind those 20 aces, however, were enough to settle a competitive first-round duel in her favor.
The tournament continues through the week, with seeded players trading early rounds and every match carrying implications for rankings and late-season momentum.
