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Türkiye's Zeynep Sonmez knocked out 28th-seeded American Ann Li 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 on Monday to advance to the second round of the Wimbledon Championships, delivering one of the more notable upsets on the opening day of play at the All England Club.
The Turkish player, ranked 51st in the world, prevailed on Court 15 in a match that was closer on paper than the scoreline suggested. Li won 93 total points to Sonmez's 87, yet it was the unseeded Turk who held her nerve at the moments that mattered most.
Li made the stronger start, racing to a 4-1 lead in the opening set. Sonmez responded with a run of consecutive games, breaking Li's serve twice to move ahead 5-4.
She twice failed to convert set points at 5-4, was broken back to level the set at 5-5, but then reeled off the final two games to claim the set 7-5. The comeback from 1-4 down set the tone for what followed.
Li steadied in the second set, building a 3-0 lead and cruising to a 6-1 win to level the match. The decider was tighter still. Both players held serve comfortably through the opening eight games to reach 4-4, before Sonmez took the final two games to close out the set 6-4 and the match 2-1.
Statistics revealed a contrast in how each player managed her serve. Li generated eight aces and won 74% of points on her first delivery, but her inconsistency elsewhere proved costly: she committed six double faults, landed only 58% of first serves in, and won just 47% of second-serve points.
Sonmez, who hit no aces, was the more reliable server overall, getting 74% of first serves in and winning 68% of second-serve points, figures that kept Li under sustained pressure throughout.
The break point statistics underscored the difference. Li converted four of five break-point chances, an impressive rate, but Sonmez created far more opportunities, earning 12 and converting four of them to control the rhythm of the match.
Monday's contest was the third career meeting between the two players but their first on grass. Their previous encounters, both played on hard courts in Merida, Mexico, had also gone Sonmez's way.
She now leads the head-to-head 3-0. Li, despite reaching a career-high ranking of 29th in the world, has carried a losing record on grass throughout her career and has never advanced past the second round at Wimbledon in six appearances, having fallen at that stage in both 2022 and 2025.
Sonmez will next face American Claire Liu in the second round on Wednesday, July 1. Liu, ranked 146th in the world, came through qualifying to reach the main draw and defeated Belgian Hanne Vandewinkel, ranked 103rd, in their first-round meeting to set up the clash.
The stakes carry particular resonance for the Turkish player. At Wimbledon 2025, Sonmez became the first Turkish tennis player in the Open Era to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles draw, a milestone she will be looking to match or surpass this week.
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