Who is Zeynep Sonmez? Turkish tennis trailblazer making waves at Australian Open

Oli Dickson Jefford 21 Jan 2026 2:45 PM

Zeynep Sonmez celebrates after a match win.

The global reach of tennis has continued to grow in recent years, and the rise of Turkish trailblazer Zeynep Sonmez is a testament to that.

Born in the Artvin Province in April 2002, WTA Tour star Sonmez has broken new ground for Turkish tennis in recent years, and is making yet more history for the country at the 2026 Australian Open.

Here, we take you through all you need to know about the 23-year-old, who will look to break even further ground in Melbourne across the rest of the tournament.

Career highlights

Undoubtedly, the highlight of Sonmez’s time competing on the WTA Tour was her triumph at the Merida Open in October 2024.

Sonmez beat top seed and home favourite Renata Zarazua in the quarter-final stage, before ultimately beating Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 to claim her first WTA Tour title at the WTA 250 event.

She would later reach a career-high of world No 69 in the WTA Rankings in October 2025.

Sonmez has also lifted four ITF Tour titles during her career and was the runner-up at the WTA 125 Ljubliana Open in September 2023, falling to Marina Bassols Ribera in the final.

The 23-year-old comes into the 2026 season under the guidance of coach Issam Jellali, best known for his work with former world No 2 and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.

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Jellali is working with Sonmez while Jabeur is on maternity leave, with the Tunisian herself believed to be acting as a mentor for Sonmez.

Grand Slam breakthroughs

Sonmez lost in the third round of qualifying at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2024, but did qualify for the French Open that spring, making her Grand Slam debut.

She beat two qualifying seeds — 12th seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich and 21st seed Jana Fett — to reach the main draw, where she was beaten by Emma Navarro.

Sonmez was also beaten in round one of the Australian Open and French Open in 2025, having entered the main draw automatically, though she broke through significantly at Wimbledon.

The Turkish star defeated Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round for her first Grand Slam main draw match win, and then beat Wang Xinyu in round two.

Though her run was ended by 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in round three, she became the first Turkish woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam.

Sonmez then reached the second round of the US Open last summer, beating Katie Volynets before a three-set defeat to 27th seed Marta Kostyuk.

2026 Australian Open run

Sonmez fell significantly down the WTA Rankings after points from her 2024 Merida victory dropped off, meaning the world No 112 was forced to come through qualifying at the Australian Open.

However, the 23-year-old made light work of her qualifying, breezing through the draw as the fifth seed.

Sonmez beat Laura Samson 6-2, 6-2 in round one, before a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Julia Riera, and a 6-3, 6-2 win over Anastasia Gasanova in the third and final round of qualifying.

The Turkish ace rode that momentum into the main draw and picked up one of the biggest — if not the biggest — wins of her career in round one, stunning 11th seed Alexandrova with a battling 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 triumph.

Not only did Sonmez pick up a huge win, but she also received international praise for helping a ballgirl who fainted on court during the match.

Sonmez backed up her career-best win with another impressive victory in round two, breezing past world No 74 Anna Bondar 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round of a major for the second time.

She is now the first Turkish woman to progress this far at the Australian Open, and is provisionally up 35 places to world No 77 in the WTA Live Rankings.

World No 94 Yulia Putintseva now awaits Sonmez in round three, in a match that presents a significant chance for both women.

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