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Zeynep Sonmez, who had already made history by becoming the first Turkish woman to advance to the second round of the Wimbledon Grand Slam, broke another barrier for Türkiye’s tennis when she secured a third-round ticket.
The 23-year-old achieved this milestone by defeating the world number 32, Wang Xinyu of China, in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5, in their second-round clash..
Sonmez had started the tournament strongly, sweeping past Romanian player Jaqueline Cristian without dropping a set in the opening round.
Her success marks the first time in 75 years that a Turkish tennis player has advanced to the third round in a Grand Slam singles draw. The last player to achieve this feat was Bahtiye Musluoglu, who played in the 1950 French Open—commonly known as Roland Garros—after being invited by the French Tennis Federation.
Musluoglu did not play a match in the first round, advanced by beating Simone Houllier Larousse in the second round, and reached the third round, a landmark that no other Turk had managed to equal in singles until Sonmez’s breakthrough.
Beyond Musluoglu and Sonmez, only a handful of Turkish players have made it past the first rounds of Grand Slam tournaments. In men’s singles, Marsel Ilhan has reached the second round on multiple occasions, including the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, the French Open, and the Australian Open.
Women’s tennis saw Cagla Buyukakcay progress to the second round at Roland Garros and the US Open. Despite these performances, the third round had remained elusive for Turkish players in singles competitions until Sonmez changed the narrative.
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While Turkish singles players struggled to make deep runs in the majors, there was a notable success in doubles. Ipek Senoglu, for instance, advanced to the third round in doubles at the 2004 U.S. Open and at Wimbledon in 2009, partnering with international teammates.
As Sonmez moves forward in Wimbledon, she will carry the hopes of Türkiye’s tennis community, which has waited for decades to see one of its own push past the early rounds of a Grand Slam in the singles category.
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