MELBOURNE: American Sofia Kenin, whose title defence at the Australian Open was halted in the second round, said on Wednesday she had her appendix removed earlier this week. Kenin lost 6-3 6-2 to Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi last Thursday. The 22-year-old said she had been suffering acute abdominal pain and visited the tournament doctor on Monday, a day after being knocked out of a low-profile tournament in Melbourne by unranked Australian teen Olivia Gadecki. “I was evaluated by the tournament physician and referred to the hospital for further evaluation,” Kenin wrote on Twitter here. “Acute appendicitis was diagnosed following the completion of my CT scan. “I had to have surgery and had my appendix removed on Monday at Epworth Hospital Richmond.”