Sport|TennisTurkiye’s Sonmez storms into Australian Open 2026 third roundZeynep Sonmez wins in straight sets to enter the third round of a Grand Slam for the second time in six months.
Zeynep Sonmez from Turkiye has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Anna Bondar in straight sets. The match concluded with a 6-2, 6-4 victory within 90 minutes on Wed, Jan 15, 2026.
Zeynep Sonmez from Turkiye has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Anna Bondar in straight sets. The match concluded with a 6-2, 6-4 victory within 90 minutes on Wed, Jan 15, 2026.
The match took place on court number 7 at Melbourne Park, where Sonmez, ranked 112th in the world, faced off against the 74th-ranked Bondar. This win marks her as the first Turkish player to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since her performance at Wimbledon last year.
In her opening match, Sonmez defeated 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, becoming the first Turkish woman to reach the second round in Melbourne.
Zeynep Sonmez from Turkiye has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Anna Bondar in straight sets.
Sonmez is set to compete against Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan, who is ranked 94th globally, in the next round. The match is anticipated to be challenging, but Sonmez expects continued support from Turkish fans.
Sonmez expressed appreciation for the support received from Turkish spectators, describing the experience as overwhelmingly positive. She noted that the encouragement from the crowd was significant, especially given the considerable number of fans attending her matches both at Wimbledon and in Melbourne.
Sonmez acknowledged that her fans in Turkiye were also following her progress, with many watching live matches despite the time difference.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
