‘Some countries are very good at tennis... We are not one of them:’ Why Zeynep Sonmez became an Australian Open sensation

When Zeynep Sonmez won her second round match at the Australian Open, she threw her hands in the air and let out a mighty yell.

But it would have been easy to miss it completely. Her celebration noises were practically impossible to hear over the thunderous roar of the Turkish crowd.

Zeynep Sonmez takes a selfie with Turkish supporters following her second round win.Credit: AP

Stands at Melbourne Park’s Court 7 looked as if they’d been painted red – with Turkish hats, T-shirts, flags and signs. Every seat was taken, so instead fans craned their necks from walkways or were pressed against the barriers.

The 23-year-old signed hundreds of autographs and took dozens of selfies following her victory, a straight sets win against Hungarian Anna Bondár. A never-ending group of fans jostled to get close for the chance to congratulate her.

She will play Yulia Putiniseva in the third round on Friday.

“I felt like I was at home,” Sonmez said after beating Bondar. “I really, really appreciated it … I really felt the support. And I felt like we were all playing together, actually.”

International fans have turned out in force to support their players during this tournament – especially from some of the smaller tennis nations whose athletes have made their way into the main draw.

Filipino fans watching Alexandra Eala during her first round match.Credit: AP

Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old player from the Philippines, attracted massive crowds at practice sessions and her first round match. The interest to watch her play was so intense that tournament organisers beamed the game onto big viewing screens around the precinct.

Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey and umpire Chase Urban help a ball kid who fainted.Credit: AP

“There are some countries that are very good at tennis, you know, they’re like tennis countries, and we are not one of them … I really think that it’s a good thing because then there are more players, more surprises,” Sonmez said.

Spectator Huseyin Turkmenoglu said that he rarely gets to watch Turkish athletes in top-flight Australian sporting leagues. It made Sonmez’s appearance all the more special for him and his sister Aysh.

“Honestly, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Zeynep … But as it’s our nation, we decided to come and support her,” said Turkmenoglu, a Turkish flag draped over his shoulders.

“We usually don’t get this chance … we’re really happy for her. I believe that she’s thriving on our support, and we’re thriving from her performance as well,” he said.

Hilkat Ozgun, president of an Australian and Turkish cultural group, said that she’s been busy on social media platforms encouraging the Turkish community to attend Sonmez’s matches. She was impressed with the number that attended on Wednesday.

“As you could see, they couldn’t fit! People were outside watching. My heart is just beating at the moment,” she said.

Ozgun said she was especially happy when Sonmez supported a ball kid who was feeling unwell during her first round match, supporting the child to rest on the sidelines.

“I’m so proud of her … the whole community supports Zeynep. She’s our pride … We’ll be coming to watch the next one as well.”

Sonmez has now equalled her record-breaking run at last year’s Wimbledon tournament, where she became the first Turkish player to reach the third round of a major in the Open era.

Loading

She also became the first Turkish player to progress past the first round at Melbourne Park following her win on Sunday.

Despite all of these milestones, Sonmez said that she’s eager to keep moving forward and representing her country with pride.

“I know that [tennis] is a new thing in Turkey, but I don’t want to stop here, you know? I want to keep going. I want to do better things,” she said.

“I think everyone is dreaming of winning a grand slam as a young girl or young boy. So it is one of my dreams, too. But … I’m just focusing on getting better every day.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

Loading