Sonmez crafts history with grit and grace in Melbourne
Zeynep Sonmez turned a chaotic first-round battle into Turkish triumph at the Australian Open, blending fierce comebacks with an unforgettable act of compassion on the hard courts.
In the humid roar of Melbourne’s 1573 Arena, Zeynep Sonmez stared down a deficit that could have broken lesser players. The 23-year-old qualifier, ranked No. 112, trailed 3-0 in the third set against No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, her heavy topspin forehands suddenly finding grip on the Plexicushion after a second set that slipped away. What followed was a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 upset lasting 2 hours and 37 minutes, marking the first Australian Open main-draw win for a Turkish woman in the Open Era.
Sonmez had already clawed back from 2-5 in the opener, saving a set point before reeling off seven straight games with deep crosscourt returns that pinned Alexandrova deep. The Russian flipped the momentum in the second, snatching eight of nine games from 1-3 down by flattening her groundstrokes to exploit the surface’s speed. Yet Sonmez’s resilience shone through, her one–two patterns—serve followed by inside-out forehand—disrupting Alexandrova’s rhythm just enough to spark the decider surge.
“She was really struggling,” Sonmez later told BBC Sport. “She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine. So I went to grab her and said ‘Sit down and drink something, you’re not fine.'
“As we were walking she fainted so luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking.
“I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player. It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I’m happy I got to help.”
Momentum ignites with tactical fire
Sonmez’s third-set revival kicked off at 3-1, 15-30 on Alexandrova’s serve, where she built a point that electrified the court. She ripped an angled forehand to stretch the Russian wide, then dropped a soft ball to draw her forward; even as Alexandrova volleyed with bite, Sonmez stretched for the forehand pass, threading it down the line for a winner that shifted the air in the arena. This sequence captured her growth, mixing power with finesse to counter Alexandrova’s flat-hitting aggression on the hard courts.
From there, Sonmez took six of the last seven games, her slice backhands varying pace to throw off the seed’s baseline assaults. The crowd, waving Turkish flags with growing fervor, fed the energy as she converted her fourth match point on a netted backhand from Alexandrova. It was her second Top 20 victory, echoing her defeat of Clara Tauson in Beijing last year, but this one carried the weight of history after Cagla Buyukakcay’s lone 2017 main-draw loss here.
Sensational Sonmez 🇹🇷@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/ptkJbTDnlk
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026
Compassion pauses the fierce duel
Late in the second set, with Alexandrova serving at 5-3, the match halted when a ballkid beside the umpire’s chair staggered and fainted in the heat. Sonmez reacted instantly, the first to reach her, guiding the girl to a shaded courtside seat and urging her to drink. The moment, raw and human amid the swings of power, won over the 1573 Arena spectators already leaning her way with their cheers.
This instinct for kindness interrupted the tactical grind, where Alexandrova’s inside-in forehands had earlier overwhelmed Sonmez’s defenses. The qualifier used the pause to steady herself, returning with underspin slices that kept the Russian off-balance in longer rallies. Turkish supporters, their flags a sea of red, amplified the shift, reminiscent of London’s diaspora turning out for Sonmez at Wimbledon last year, where she first reached a Grand Slam third round before falling to Alexandrova.
Resilience carves a new path
Sonmez breezed through qualifying last week, dropping just 13 games across three matches, her serve and forehand drive adapting well to the hard courts. Now eyeing a Top 100 return after peaking at No. 69 last October, this win dissolves recent doubts and sets up a rankings climb. The upset, broadcast by partners like @wwos, @espn, @tntsports, and @wowowtennis under #AO26 on January 18, 2026, pulses with the tournament’s intensity.
Pic.twitter.com/ptkJbTDnlk captured the electric point that turned the tide, while the arena’s vibe—fervent flags and shared relief—underscored her trailblazing run. As she checks Australian Open scores, draws, and order of play for the next round, Sonmez’s blend of empathy and court craft positions her to push deeper. On these demanding courts, her story signals Turkish tennis’s rising pulse Down Under.
