Turkish tennis star Sonmez on brink of historic Australian Open run

Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez is poised to make history at the Australian Open in Melbourne. The 23-year-old, currently ranked 112th in the world, will face Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva on Friday in a third-round match that, if won, would send her into the last 16—a first for any Turkish player in a Grand Slam singles event.

The Historic Opportunity

Sonmez, who reached a career-high ranking of 69 last year and won the WTA Merida Open in 2024, has already broken new ground for Türkiye. She became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to reach the third round of a major at Wimbledon in 2025 and the first to compete in all four Grand Slam main draws in a single season. A win over Putintseva would surpass the third-round benchmark set 75 years ago by Bahtiye Musluoğlu at the 1950 French Open and establish an unprecedented milestone.

Analyzing the Third-Round Challenge

Her opponent, 31-year-old Yulia Putintseva (world No. 94), is an experienced campaigner with three WTA titles and three Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances to her name, though never at the Australian Open. This will be the first career meeting between the two. The match is scheduled for Kia Arena, following the Tien-Borges contest which begins at 12:40 p.m. local time (0140 GMT).

Context of Turkish Tennis History

The history of Turkish players in Grand Slam singles is sparse. In the modern era, no Turkish man has passed the second round, with Marsel İlhan holding that record. In women's doubles, İpek Şenoğlu reached the third round at the 2004 US Open and 2009 Wimbledon. Sonmez's current run therefore represents the most significant individual achievement in decades, generating immense national pride and inspiring a new generation of athletes in Türkiye. Her performance underscores the growing profile of Turkish tennis on the world stage.