Complete defeat in the Middle East tournaments and loss of sponsorship, Sönmez falls into a slump

It is widely recognized that once tennis players reach a certain level of achievement, they attract commercial partners who offer sponsorships. Frequently, the earnings from these endorsements exceed their tournament prize money. Hence, such sponsorships are indispensable for tennis players.

Nonetheless, recently a tennis player experienced the cancellation of a contract with a significant sponsor. In addition, during this time, she endured a streak of three straight defeats in matches. So, who exactly is this player? And who was the sponsor that ended their partnership? How has her recent performance been? Today, this article will take you through the details.

This player is Turkish athlete Sönmez. In November 2024, she claimed her first career tour title at the WTA250 Mérida event with an impressive five-match winning streak. In 2025, although Sönmez did not reach the semifinals of any tour events, she advanced to the round of 32 at Wimbledon — marking the first time a Turkish player has reached the last 32 in a Grand Slam tournament.

In mid-January this year, starting from the Australian Open qualifiers, Sönmez won five consecutive matches, reaching the round of 32 at a Grand Slam for the second time in her career. Although she was defeated in the third round by Kazakhstan’s Putintseva and couldn’t progress further, considering her opponent had previously reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, losing to her was somewhat understandable.

In early February, Sönmez entered the WTA500 Abu Dhabi tournament with a wildcard. Her first-round opponent was the Filipino player Iala, who had once reached the semifinals of a WTA1000 event and possessed considerable strength. Despite giving her all, Sönmez lost 4-6, 3-6 and failed to advance. At that moment, she might not have realized that this was just the beginning of her losing streak in the Middle East season.

In mid-February, because the WTA1000 Qatar Open had only a 64-player draw and despite some improvement in her world ranking, Sönmez’s position at 85th was clearly insufficient for direct entry into the main draw. Under these circumstances, she had no choice but to continue competing with a wildcard.

In the first round, she faced Greek player Sakkari, who had previously reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam and was a strong competitor. During the match, Sakkari was in exceptional form, allowing Sönmez to win only four games throughout. After this loss, Sönmez’s journey ended there, marking her second consecutive defeat in the Middle East season.

This week, she again participated in the WTA1000 Dubai Open with a wildcard. Before the tournament, Turkish Airlines, which had been a long-time sponsor of Sönmez, suddenly announced the termination of their partnership. This was a heavy blow to Sönmez, who was already struggling with her form. In the first round, possibly due to her poor condition, she was decisively defeated 2-6, 2-6 by Czech player Beleck, who had just won her first career tour title.

After being eliminated in the first round of three consecutive Middle East tournaments, it seems Sönmez’s form is in urgent need of adjustment. Her next stop will be Mexico, where she will compete in the WTA500 Mérida Open. Hopefully, Sönmez can recover in time and deliver a strong performance. That’s all for today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)