Wednesday, January 21, 2026

AO26 - Everybody Loves Zeynep




With players from *so* many different nations finding historic success on a regular basis on tour, it's become almost commonplace to see a handful of "first woman from (insert nation here) to reach the (insert slam event and round here)..." moments over the course of a four-major schedule.

Over the past year, Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez has done it more than once.

A tour singles champion in 2024, Sonmez played in the MD at all four slam events for the first time last season. At Wimbledon, she became the first Turk to reach the singles 3rd Round at a major in the Open era. She cracked the Top 70 in October, then before the start of 2026 it was announced that Ons Jabuer (off tour while expecting her first child) would serve as a mentor for Sonmez this season, with the Tunisian's coach, Issam Jellali, leading the Turk's coaching team.

Last week, Sonmez played her way through AO qualifying, and earlier this week posted her first AO MD victory, a big one over #11 Ekaterina Alexandrova, as well as coming to the rescue of a ball kid that had fainted in the Aussie sun. In an instant, Sonmez's fanbase grew exponentially.



Today the #112-ranked 23-year old added to her Melbourne highlight reel, knocking off Anna Bondar 6-2/6-4 in front on an adoring very-pro-Zeynep crowd on Court 7. As she basked in the love of the fans at courtside, Sonmez's fanbase from afar likely grew exponentially once again.



Already the first Turk to reach the 3rd Round of a major, now Sonmez is first to do so twice. In the Top 80 in the "live" rankings, she'll face Yulia Putintseva in her next match.

Hmmm, the next one should be interesting considering the way Sonmez generally comports herself on the court, and how Putintseva does the same (or doesn't do the same, in this case), especially when her opponent's fans get going.



One gets the sneaky suspicion that Zeynep's fanbase might just naturally grow exponentially once again over the next few days.












=AO NOTES=
...after such a great start to the AO for the Aussie women, with six reaching the 2nd Round for the first time since 1992, things started to come back (crashing) down to earth on Day 4.

It didn't *have* to be that way, as wild card Talia Gibson seemed set to reach the 3rd Round of a major for the first time in her career. Facing #23 Diana Shnaider, the 21-year old from Perth had The Bandanna perched on the very edge of the match. After taking a 6-3 1st set, Gibson rallied from 3-1 down in the 2nd to lead 5-4 and hold three MP on return.

But Shnaider got the match-saving hold, then broke Gibson a game later before serving out the set, taking both of the final two games at 15. She went on to claim the 3rd and a 3-6/7-5/6-3 victory.



In the 3rd Round in Melbourne for a second straight year, Shnaider's win officially checked off one of the depleted corps of Hordettes' items on their collective slam To-Do List as at least one Russian woman has now reached the 3rd Round at 99 of the last 101 (eligible) majors, including at the last 23. Later in the night session on MCA, #8 Mirra Andreeva joined her in the Final 32 with a love & 4 victory over Maria Sakkari.

Not long afterward, Aussie qualifier Storm Hunter fell to Hailey Baptiste, while the night session saw only things get worse, with countrywomen Ajla Tomljanovic (vs. Gabriela Ruse) and Priscilla Hon fell (vs. #29 Iva Jovic on Laver) losing to drop the home favorite women to 0-4 on Day 4.



Remaining Aussies Taylah Preston and Maddison Inglis are set to play their 2nd Rounders on Day 5.

...since the late-season version of Roland Garros in 2020, Clara Tauson has made her bones knocking off seeds in majors. The Dane has the wristbands of six seeded slam opponents hanging on her wall back home. But since her climb up the rankings last year, she's now the *hunted* rather than the hunter.

As the #14 seed at this AO, the big-hitting Tauson was taken the distance in the 2nd Round by (newly Uzbeki) Polina Kudermetova, and struggled to get over the finish line in the 3rd set just days after having retired from final pre-AO match in Adelaide last week. Twice Tauson took a break lead in the decider only to see it slip away, and she failed to serve out the match at 5-4.

But she got herself another chance, breaking Kudermetova to hold a break advantage for a third time in the set at 6-5. This time, it stuck, as Tauson served out the 6-3/4-6/7-5 win to reach the 3rd Round for the second straight year in Melbourne, and third time in four AO MD appearances (she was also the junior AO champ in '19). She's reached at least the 3rd Round at four of the last five slams, posting nine of her career 22 wins in majors over the stretch.

Now 7-3 as a seeded player in slam play, Tauson will find herself on more familiar ground in her next outing, as the underdog vs. a seed, #17 Victoria Mboko.

...meanwhile, the top seeds are generally cruising along, with none of the Top 10 having yet been knocked out.

Two of the top-seeded favorites had little problem during the day session, as #1 Aryna Sabalenka handled qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-1/6-3, improving to 40-2 in her last 42 matches in Australia. Since 2023, she's gone 22-1 in the AO, and 41-2 in hard court majors (19-1 U.S.), winning four titles and reaching two other finals. She's off to a 7-0 start in '26.



The last player to pull off the US/AO double was Naomi Osaka, with back-to-back slam wins in 2018-19, and then winning the two titles again in 2020-21 (but in that case with a major -- the '20 RG -- in between, though Osaka didn't play in Paris that fall).

Also in the top half of the draw on Day 4, #3 Coco Gauff took out Olga Danilovic 6-2/6-2, improving to 16-3 in majors in the last two seasons.



...meanwhile, in the last big junior event before play begins in Melbourne, China's Xinran Sun defeated Pastry Ksenia Efremova 6-1/6-3 to take the Traralgon tournament title.

Last year, the 15-year old became (then at just 14) the youngest Chinese player to ever win an ITF pro challenger title, claiming a pair of $15K wins in back-to-back events in Sharm El Shiekh October/November, the closed out '25 by winning the junior Orange Bowl crown.



...in the Melbourne Open (1000) wheelchair event, Diede de Groot notched a QF win over Aniek Van Koot, while Yui Kamiji defeated Ksenia Chasteau. The two will have their first 2026 singles meeting in the semifinals.

They had their first match of the new year in doubles today, with Kamiji & Zhu Zhenzhen knocking off de Groot & Kamiji to reach the final vs. Kgothatso Montjane/Manami Tanaka.





...ANOTHER TOUR GOODBYE on Day 4:




...IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES GIBSON RESEMBLE A CERTAIN RECENTLY RETIRED PLAYER? on Day 4:



Angie Kerber?



...IT SHOULD BE SO EASY FOR THE WTA TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO SELL THINGS LIKE THIS (which happen quite often, really, with only the flags and faces changing) IN AN ENTERTAINING, INCLUSIVE AND ATTENTION-WORTHY WAY on Day 4:

Yet, we consistently get things like #RallyTheWorld (Version 3, or was it 4?).























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*RECENT TRARALGON JR. CHAMPIONS; w/ AO Jr. RESULT*
2015 Katherine Sebov, CAN (2r)
2016 Vera Lapko, BLR (W)
2017 Iga Swiatek, POL (1r)
2018 Liang En-shou, TPE (W)
2019 Clara Tauson, DEN (W)
2020 Polina Kudermetova, RUS (QF)
2021 DNP
2022 Sofia Costoulas, BEL (RU)
2023 Melisa Ercan, TUR (1r)
2024 Emerson Jones, AUS (RU)
2025 Jeline Vandromme, BEL (QF)
2026 Xinran Sun, CHN

*BACK-to-BACK US/AO TITLES OVER TWO SEASONS - Open era*
1969-70 Margaret Court, AUS
1970-71 Margaret Court, AUS
1988-89 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989-90 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991-92 Monica Seles, YUG
1992-93 Monica Seles, YUG
1993-94 Steffi Graf, GER
1997-98 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002-03 Serena Williams, USA
2003-04 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2008-09 Serena Williams, USA
2010-11 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2014-15 Serena Williams, USA
2018-19 Naomi Osaka, JPN
--
1982 - Chris Evert, US Sept./AO Dec.
1983 - Martina Navratilova - US Sept/AO Dec.
2020-21 - Naomi Osaka - RG Oct.'20 held between '20 US/'21 AO







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We are watching one of the wildest things a nation-state has ever done: A superpower is committing suicide because the GOP Congress is too cowardly to stand up to the Mad King. This is one of the wildest moments in all of geopolitics ever.

[image or embed]

— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg.bsky.social) January 19, 2026 at 5:59 PM


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Old helmet cars... IYKYK.




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Hmmm, 3F. A sane person behind you (w/ the chance to casually overhear an interesting conversation to keep you entertained), a good person to your right, and a nice angle (and a safe distance) from which to watch whatever craziness happens up in the front. Or you could just look out the window or take a nap, with little chance of being bothered.

Some might say 2C... but, you know, you're on a flight with a dead guy whose last one didn't end very well (bad omen). (Sorry, that was too easy.)

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TOP QUALIFIER: Guiomar Maristany/ESP
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - Guiomar Maristany/ESP def. Tatiana Prozorova/RUS 6-2/2-6/7-6(10-7) - saved four MP (at 6-5 in the 3rd), reached maiden slam MD
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: (WC) Talia Gibson/AUS (def. Anna Blinkova/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #26 Dayana Yastremska, UKR (1r- lost to Gabriela Ruse/ROU)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Nikola Bartunkova/CZE (1st slam MD), Linda Klimovicova/POL (1st), Petra Marcinko/CRO (1st), Taylah Preston/AUS (3rd), Oksana Selekhmeteva/RUS (5th)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: in 2r: Pliskova/CZE
LUCKY LOSER BEST: 0-1 in 1r
UPSET QUEENS: The Crush of Czechs
REVELATION LADIES: Australia (6 in 2r most since 1992)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Russia (4-5 1st Rd.; only 9 in MD after AO-best 9 to 2r in '25; has lost 7 notable players to other nations since '23; lost 2 Top 20 seeds)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Bai/CHN (L), Bartunkova/CZE, L.Fruhvirtova/CZE, Hunter/AUS (L), Inglis/AUS, Klimovicova/POL (L), Sonmez/TUR (W)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 2r: Gibson/AUS (L), Hon/AUS (L), Preston/AUS
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: in 2r: Gibson (L), Hon (L), Hunter (L), Inglis, Preston, Tomljanovic (L)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT (?): Nominee: Zeynep Sonmez (Turk)
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: Nominees: first two seeds out are UKR (Yastremska/Kostyuk) in back-to-back ANZ Arena matches on Day 1
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Nominees: Siegemund (down 6-0/5-2 vs. Samsonova in 1r; saved 2 MP 5-3, then down 3-1 in 3rd); Shnaider (saved 3 MP at 6-5 in 2nd set vs. Gibson)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominee: Venus Williams/USA (at 45 years and 7 months, breaks 2015 record of Kimiko Date as the oldest woman in an AO singles MD match)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Sabalenka, Osaka
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: Nominees: Ash Barty's "Don't Call it a Comeback" return in AO opening ceremonies; Jacquemot/Kostyuk play first three-TB women's MD match at AO; Osaka's jellyfish/butterfly-inspired "My Fair Lady" nighttime intro outfit
DOUBLES STAR: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x





All for now. More soon.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:18 AM 

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