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Australian Open: Zeynep Sonmez produced a spirited performance to defeat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open on Saturday, becoming the first Turkish player to advance to the second round of the tournament.

Playing at the 1573 Arena, Sonmez showed remarkable composure in a closely fought three-set contest that lasted over two hours. Despite being up against the experienced 11th seed Alexandrova, the Turkish player stayed calm at key moments to seal a memorable victory.

The opening set saw both players trade heavy baseline shots, with Alexandrova relying on her powerful serve. Sonmez, however, absorbed the pressure well and broke serve late in the set to take it 7-5.