How one Turkish tennis player rewrote the history books of the WTA Tour
In short: In just a few seasons, Zeynep Sönmez transformed from a qualifying newcomer into a global force. By securing historic victories over top-ten opponents, she has become the highest-ranked Turkish player in history, breaking long-standing records that had stood since 2016.
Zeynely Sönmez's ascent is marked by a series of unprecedented milestones for Turkish tennis. After making her WTA Tour debut at the Rosmalen Open in June 2023, she rapidly climbed the rankings. Her breakthrough year arrived in 2024, when she secured her first WTA Tour singles title at the Mérida Open. This victory made her the first player from Turkey to win a WTA singles title since Çağla Büyükakçay did so in Istanbul in 2016.
The scale of her achievement is reflected in her ranking trajectory. By November 2024, she had entered the top 100, reaching world No. 91. Her momentum continued into 2026, a year in which she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 48 on 13 July 2026. This feat established her as the highest-ranked Turkish player in WTA history, following in the footsteps of Büyükakçay, the only other Turkish player to reach the top 100.
Sönmez has also become a pioneer in Grand Slam performance. Following her 2017 predecessor, she became the initial Turkish female athlete to enter the French Open's main draw, later achieving the first Turkish third-round appearance at the Australian Open during 2026. Notably, her victory over world No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova at the 2026 Australian Open was accompanied by a historic upset of world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini in Stuttgart, marking her first career top-10 win and the first such victory in WTA Tour history for any Turkish player.
Her professional team also saw significant changes during this rise, notably in November 2025, when former Tunisian professional Ons Jabeur joined her team as a mentor alongside head coach Issam Jellali.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Zeynep Sönmez
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