Zeynep Sönmez continued her historic streak of success at the Australian Open and became the first Turkish woman to reach the third round in Melbourne. The 23-year-old qualifier from Istanbul easily defeated Hungarian Anna Bondar 6:2, 6:4 on Wednesday.
Sönmez had already made history in the first round when she knocked out the eleventh seeded Russian Jekaterina Alexandrowa from the tournament.
Never before had a Turkish player advanced to the second round of the Australian Open. Now the world number 112 hits. on Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan.
Australian Open: Sönmez is causing a sensation again
“I have never experienced anything like this,” said Sönmez after the celebrated victory in front of a loud crowd: “I really appreciated that there were so many Turkish people there and I felt at home.”
Sönmez, who won her first WTA title in Mexico in 2024, had already caused a sensation at Wimbledon last year when she became the first Turkish woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.
