Gauff Beats Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez in US Open Opener
The 24-year-old Turkish player, ranked 53rd in the world, pushed the fourth seed in the second set before losing 6-3, 6-4 in New York.
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The First-Round Match
Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey lost her opening match at the 2026 US Open to American Coco Gauff, going down 6-3, 6-4 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
The contest opened the Tuesday night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the tournament's main court, starting at 7:00 PM EDT. It was the first career meeting between the two players.
France 24, reporting from AFP, described a hard-hitting baseline battle in which Gauff was broken only once. Sonmez was often unable to return Gauff's serve in the opening set, or returned it weakly.
Sonmez's Resistance
The Turkish player raised her level in the second set after Gauff broke early, according to France 24, using heavy ground strokes and coming forward to finish points with volleys.
At 2-3, Sonmez held multiple break points in a long game, but Gauff saved them and closed it out with a big serve. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, said afterwards that she likes to challenge opponents to keep up the level, adding that she was able to settle down.
The Player and Her Season
Sonmez is 24 and has had the best year of her career. Yahoo Sports reports she became the first Turkish singles player to break into the world's top 50, reaching a career high of No. 48.
She was ranked 53rd or 54th going into the tournament, depending on the source: Yahoo Sports gives No. 54, while Kalshi News and France 24 both list her at No. 53.
Syracuse.com reports she reached the top 50 for the first time in July and has made three tour-level quarterfinals in 2026. Sources agree she beat former top-10 player Daria Kasatkina this year, and Yahoo Sports also credits her with a win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Yahoo Sports describes her as a strong rallier whose second serve is a slight weakness.
Kalshi News notes this was her second US Open main draw. Last year she reached the second round before losing to Marta Kostyuk. The sources do not say what she plays next.
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