Turkish female tennis player reaches Wimbledon 2nd round for 1st time

LONDON

Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez has made history at Wimbledon, becoming the first woman from Türkiye to advance to the second round of the tournament's singles main draw.

On the second day of play at the All England Club in London, Sönmez defeated Romanian opponent Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3.

The match marked her debut in the main draw at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, held annually in London, United Kingdom. Known for its grass courts and strict traditions, it attracts the world’s top players competing for one of the sport’s most coveted titles.

Sönmez overcame Cristian, who holds the 55th spot in the WTA rankings, to secure her place in the next round at the prestigious tournament.

Sönmez was born on April 30, 2002, in Istanbul.

As of March 3 this year, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 77.

She has claimed four singles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit.

Sönmez won her first WTA title on Nov. 4 last year at the Merida Open in Mexico, defeating American Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 in the final.

This victory also secured her spot in the WTA Top 100 for the first time.

She has also represented Türkiye in the Billie Jean King Cup, recording a 3-1 win-loss record, and made her WTA qualifying debut for the national team at the 2023 Rosmalen Grass Court Championships qualifiers.