Zeynep Sönmez kept her Melbourne momentum intact, sweeping past Russia’s Anastasia Gasanova in straight sets to clinch a place in the 2026 Australian Open main draw and underline her growing authority on hard courts.
The Turkish No. 1 wrapped up the final round of qualifying 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour 29 minutes, never dropping a set throughout the three-round gauntlet.
Calm on serve and sharp on return, Sönmez broke early in both sets and maintained control to the finish, closing out the match with minimal drama and maximum efficiency.
It seals her second appearance in the Australian Open main draw, following her debut in 2025, and confirms a strong start to the new season.
Sönmez consistently took time away from Gasanova, turning defense into offense and limiting the Russian’s chances to gain a foothold.
Her qualifying campaign told the same story.
Sönmez opened with a routine straight-sets win over Laura Samsonova, backed it up with another composed victory against Argentina’s Julia Riera, then capped the week with her most complete performance against Gasanova.
Across three matches, she conceded just a handful of games, a sign of both form and confidence.
Gasanova, a former top-125 player working her way back up the rankings, competed aggressively but struggled to match Sönmez’s depth and accuracy from the baseline.
The Russian’s run to the final round was encouraging, yet the gap on the day was clear.
For Sönmez, the result adds another marker in a steady rise that has seen her establish herself as Türkiye’s leading women’s player.
A regular Billie Jean King Cup representative, she has paired tour-level experience with improving consistency, traits that are beginning to show at Grand Slam qualifying events.
The 2026 Australian Open main draw begins on January 18 at Melbourne Park, with Sönmez’s first-round opponent to be determined by the draw.
As a qualifier, she may face a seeded player, but she arrives with momentum, belief and the knowledge that Melbourne’s courts suit her game.
