Zeynep Sönmez defeated her American rival Ann Li to win her first WTA title in Merida last Monday, making her the first Turkish player in over eight years to claim a WTA singles title. “It was one of my biggest dreams. I've been working for this day for 15 years," the 22-year-old shared after her victory. She won against Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 in just one hour and ten minutes on the Yucatan Country Club court.
From the fourth game of the first set, Sönmez took control, hitting three consecutive aces to level the score at 2-2. She capitalized on some errors by Ann Li in the fifth game to break serve and take the lead. In the sixth game, despite trailing multiple times, she fought back to secure a 4-2 lead. During this game, a butterfly landed near her, and she gently removed it from the court, earning applause from the audience for her kindness.
In the highly competitive seventh game, where both players’ fortitude was challenged, Sönmez managed to overcome Ann Li’s defenses, ultimately securing the first set 6-2 with a win in the eighth game. Zeynep Sönmez lost only the first game of the second set but maintained her discipline and focus throughout the rest. She was even seen reviewing notes she had taken in her notebook about her opponent. Eventually, she won the second set 6-1, claiming her first WTA title in Mexico and becoming the second Turkish tennis player to achieve this success after Çağla Büyükakçay.
Zeynep Sönmez defeated top-ranked Renata Zarazua in the quarterfinals, overcame Alina Korneeva in the semifinals—who is the newly crowned No. 1 in the ATF rankings—and ultimately beat Ann Li of the USA in the final. Her success is quite remarkable, given that she played both the semifinal and final matches within a span of just eight hours. With this victory, she entered the top 100 in the WTA rankings.
Some of her notable achievements include qualifying for the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon Women's Singles, where she was eliminated in the final round of qualifying. At the 2024 Roland Garros, she beat Jana Fett in the final round of qualifiers to reach her first Grand Slam main draw, though she was eliminated in the opening match. She also reached the final qualifying round at the 2024 US Open but didn’t advance further.
Edited by Derya Yener