Image Credits: Official X Account/Zeynep Sonmez

Who Is Zeynep Sonmez? All About Turkey’s Rising Tennis Star Breaking Ground at the US Open 2025

From Istanbul roots to Grand Slam milestones, Zeynep Sonmez is emerging as Turkey’s brightest hope in world tennis.

Image Credits: Official X Account/Zeynep Sonmez

Zeynep Sonmez has quickly become one of the most exciting names in Turkish tennis. The 23-year-old, currently ranked world No. 81 after reaching a career-high of No. 74 in July 2025, has already etched her name into history with a Wimbledon breakthrough earlier this summer. While still searching for consistency on tour, Sonmez’s rise has been marked by landmark achievements and the promise of more to come. Recently, she has reached the second round of the US Open, upsetting qualifier Katie Volynets and now will face either Katie Boulter or the 27th seed, Marta Kostyuk.

3 – With victory over Katie Volynets, Zeynep Sonmez has become only the third Turkish player in the Open Era to win a Singles main draw match at the US Open, after Marsel Ilhan and Cagla Buyukakcay. Frontier.#USOpen | @usopen @WTA @WTA_insider
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 26, 2025

Who Is Zeynep Sonmez?

Zeynep Sonmez is a professional tennis player representing Turkey on the WTA Tour. Born on April 30, 2002, in Istanbul, she hails from a family originally from the Arhavi district of Artvin. Coached by Izo Zunic, with Mehmet Bayraktar serving as her fitness and mental coach, Sonmez has become the Turkish No. 1 player at the moment.

Her professional journey began gaining momentum in 2023 when she made her WTA Tour debut. The following year, she captured her first WTA title at the Merida Open, defeating Ann Li in straight sets, and added to her resume with four singles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit. She also represents Turkey in the Billie Jean King Cup, where she holds a 5-3 win/loss record.

Sonmez 🤝 Second Round

Zeynep Sonmez battles past Volynets 6-3, 6-4.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/gDGTg4HQdf
— wta (@WTA) August 26, 2025

This season has been a mix of challenges and breakthroughs. Though she struggled to make deep runs in most tournaments, Sonmez reached new heights at Wimbledon, becoming the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam. Her consistency at the majors also showed with first-round appearances at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Earlier in the year, she battled into the quarterfinals at Merida before bowing out against Emma Navarro.

Historic moment for Turkish tennis 🇹🇷

World No.88 Zeynep Sonmez is the first player from Turkey to reach the third round in singles at a Grand Slam in the Open Era! #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XXW3r2PoPX
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025

With her ranking hovering inside the Top 100 and her game still developing, Sonmez stands as a pioneer for Turkish tennis, already a record-setter and potentially the trailblazer for an entire generation to follow.

US Open 2025

Zeynep Sonmez

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.