Sofia Kenin undergoes emergency surgery after Australian Open exit

Kenin bowed out of the Australian Open in the second round after suffering a defeat against Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 2-6.

Melbourne: American tennis player Sofia Kenin on Wednesday revealed that she underwent emergency surgery to remove her appendix.

Kenin bowed out of the Australian Open in the second round after suffering a defeat against Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 2-6.

“Hey guys! I want to share with you what happened to me a few days ago. I went to the tournament physician office on Monday, February 15th with acute abdominal pain. I was evaluated by the tournament physician and referred to the hospital for further evaluation,” Kenin tweeted.

In another tweet, the world-number four said: “Acute appendicitis was diagnosed following the completion of my CT scan. I had to have surgery and had my appendix removed on Monday, February 15, at Epworth Hospital Richmond. I want to thank everyone at Epworth Hospital Richmond for taking good care of me.”

Kenin was defending her Australian Open title this year, but she was not successful in going past the second-round as she suffered a shock defeat against Kanepi.

The 22-year-old Kenin was just the third defending Australian Open who did not manage to reach the third round since 1970.

This was also the earliest exit for a defending champion since Jennifer Capriati lost in the first-round of Australian Open in 2003.