Zeynep Sonmez becomes highest-ranked Turkish player in WTA rankings history

Zeynep Sonmez sets a new record today, becoming the highest-ranked Turkish player in WTA rankings history.

The 24-year-old rises from No. 65 to a new career-high ranking of No. 59 after a second-round showing at the WTA 1000 event in Rome, surpassing Cagla Buyukakcay’s previous mark of No. 60 from 2016 for a new national ranking record.

Buyukakcay and Sonmez are the only two Turkish players to reach the Top 100 in WTA rankings history. They’re also the only two Turkish players ever to win WTA titles, Buyukakcay winning the clay-court event on home soil in Istanbul in 2016 and Sonmez the hard-court event in Merida, Mexico in 2024.

Sonmez was a ballgirl during Buyukakcay’s run to the Istanbul title a decade ago, and told the WTA it was an inspiration.

“It was very emotional for me,” she said.

“Everyone in Turkish tennis was there. Of course, it was a good inspiration for me and for all Turkish players.”

The national ranking record isn’t the only history Sonmez has achieved for Turkey, either—at Wimbledon last summer, she became the first Turkish player in the Open Era, woman or man, to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. She repeated the feat at the Australian Open this year.

She’s had a solid last few months on the tour, too, winning at least a round at her last six events in a row, all of which have been at the WTA 500 level or higher. Her best results in that run were a WTA 500 quarterfinal in Merida and a third-round showing at the WTA 1000 in Madrid. She also scored the first Top 10 win of her career against Jasmine Paolini in Stuttgart.

Having lost in the first round of Roland Garros last year and not winning any tour-level matches during the grass-court season until her run at Wimbledon, the Top 50 is well within reach for the Turkish rising star in the coming weeks.