Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez wins 1st WTA title at Merida Open

Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez clinched her first WTA title by defeating American tennis player Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the Merida Open. Sonmez broke into the top 100 in the WTA rankings with this victory.

In the final, Sonmez gained control from the fourth game of the first set, tying the score at 2-2 after firing off three consecutive aces.

She capitalized on Li’s errors in the fifth set to secure a break and showcased resilience in the sixth set, overcoming several setbacks to pull ahead 4-2.

This momentum shift led her to claim the first set 6-2, as Li’s defensive stance waned.

Turkish President Erdogan congratulated Sonmez on X

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Zeynep Sonmez with a post on X. He said, ‘I wholeheartedly congratulate Turkish national tennis player Zeynep Sonmez for her success.’

Meksika’da düzenlenen Merida Açık Kadınlar Tenis Turnuvası Şampiyonu olan millî tenisçimiz Zeynep Sönmez’i ülkemizi gururlandıran bu büyük başarısı nedeniyle canıgönülden tebrik ediyorum. 🇹🇷

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) November 4, 2024

Historic championship for Zeynep Sonmez

With this win, Sonmez becomes only the second Turkish player after Cagla Buyukakcay to win a singles title in a WTA tournament, marking one of the most significant victories in Turkish tennis history.

For the first time in my life, I’ve made it to the semifinals of a WTA 250 tournament! Despite near-sickness fatigue, i got the win. I’m incredibly grateful for all the amazing support from the crowd and from Türkiye —thank you! Today is the semifinal, and I’m hoping for a fun,… pic.twitter.com/KTiksXYIPY

— Zeynep Sonmez (@ZeynepSonmez__) November 2, 2024

AFP reported Sonmez as saying, “It was one of my biggest dreams. I’ve been working for this day for 15 years.” Sonmez also thanked ‘the people who saw me in Türkiye at four in the morning.’

Both players pulled double duty on Sunday after rain delays on Saturday.

Li completed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Polina Kudermetova in their rain-delayed semi-final while Sonmez rallied from 4-2 down in the first set to beat 17-year-old Alina Korneeva 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in their semi-final.