Zeynep Sönmez Breaks New Ground for Turkish Tennis at Wimbledon

Zeynep Sönmez has made history as the first Turkish player in the professional era to reach the third round of a major tennis tournament, after defeating China’s Wang Xinyu 7-5, 7-5 at Wimbledon.

Ranked 88th in the world, Sönmez will face Russian 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the upcoming round of 32.

This achievement marks a significant milestone, as no Turkish woman or man had advanced to the third round of a major tournament since the Open Era began in 1968. In fact, the last Turkish woman to reach that stage was Bahtiye Musluoğlu, who did so at the pre-professional French Open in 1950, nearly 75 years ago.

While Çağla Büyükakçay reached the second round of three majors between 2016 and 2017, Sönmez’s breakthrough signifies a new chapter for Turkish tennis. She expressed hope that her victory will inspire future players from Turkey.

“My mum and my team told me that there are videos of kids watching me at home, in tennis clubs on TV,” Sönmez said, highlighting her role as a trailblazer for Turkish tennis prospects.