Wimbledon 2025: Zeynep Sonmez reaches third round, makes history for Turkey

London, July 3 (IANS) World No. 88 Zeynep Sonmez made history for Turkish tennis at Wimbledon 2025 on Thursday, reaching the third round of ladies' singles at the All-England Club here.

Sonmez has become the first player from Turkey to reach the third round in singles at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

The 23-year-old Sonmez, who is born in Istanbul, Turkey, defeated China's Xinyu Wang, who is ranked 32nd in the World, in two hard-fought sets, 7-5, 7-5 in a Round of 64 clash on Thrusday.

Sonmez, who competes for Turkey in the Billie Jean King Cup, has a career-high ranking of No. 76 in singles and No. 584 in doubles by the WTA, which she achieved in 2025.

She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open in 2024 and has also played at the US Open 2024, Australian Open 2025, and French Open 2026, losing in the first round on each occasion.

Meanwhile, Cristina Bucsa of Spain needed only 70 minutes to upset No. 22 seed and 2024 semifinalist Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3 -- her sixth career Top 30 win -- to advance to the third round for the first time. She'll next face lucky loser Solana Sierra, with a fourth-round Grand Slam debut at stake for both.

Bucsa, who made her Wimbledon debut in 2019, reached the venue without shoes and had to scramble around to make arrangements. She went on to win her first round match and then overcame one more to reach the third round.

Bucsa is an unusual professional athlete in 2025 in that she is -- and has always been -- a social media holdout. She reluctantly has a Facebook account in order to arrange doubles with fellow players, but has no desire to join Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform.

--IANS

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