Türkiye’s Zeynep Sönmez storms to first WTA title of career

Zeynep Sönmez of Türkiye roared past American Ann Li 6-2, 6-1 on Nov. 3 to capture the first WTA title of her career in Merida, Mexico.

Sönmez, 22, became the first Turkish player to lift a WTA trophy since Çağla Büyükakçay won in Istanbul in 2016 to become the first champion from the country.

World Number 127 Sönmez needed just 70 minutes to overcome Li, a former top-50 player now ranked 111th.

Sönmez gained her third break of the opening set for a 5-2 lead and pocketed the set after 42 minutes.

She broke Li three times in the second set, winning the last six games to polish off the dominant victory.

"It was one of my biggest dreams. I've been working for this day for 15 years," Sönmez said, who also thanked "the people who saw me in Türkiye at four in the morning."

The victory underlines Sönmez's methodical rise up the WTA ranks over the past couple of seasons. The Turkish player had never cracked the Top 300 before 2023, but she has now made her Top 100 debut, climbing up to the 91st spot in the WTA rankings announced on Nov. 4.

Sönmez made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at this year's Roland Garros, and she became the first Turkish player to make a WTA quarterfinal since Büyükakçay in 2017 when she reached the elite eight in Monastir.

Both Sönmez and Li pulled double duty on Nov.3 after rain delays a day earlier.

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