American qualifier Claire Liu defeated 51st-ranked Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey 7-5, 6-3 in London on Wednesday to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her professional career.
The world No. 146 had failed to advance past the second round in 29 previous major appearances since 2015.
She has now won five consecutive matches on the lawns of the All England Club after navigating through three rounds of qualifying.
The victory sets up a third-round match on Friday against world No. 7 and fellow American Coco Gauff on No. 1 Court, where Liu previously won the 2017 Wimbledon girls' singles championship.
Liu had prepared for an early exit from London, having already checked out of her hotel room on Wednesday morning before her second-round match was played.
"Just because you're packing doesn't mean you're leaving," recalled Liu, laughing as she remembered what her boyfriend told her while organizing her luggage.
The 26-year-old Southern California native has struggled with a wrist injury, perfectionism, and a coaching split since achieving a career-high ranking of No. 52 in early 2023.
She has used therapy and launched a Substack newsletter titled "Finding Claire-ity."
"I was just super relieved to get through that," said Liu, noting she had blown a set and a break lead in the French Open's second round last month.
Liu later addressed her junior success at the tournament nine years ago, where she became the first American to win the Wimbledon girls' singles title since Chanda Rubin in 1992.
"Younger me would have believed it more than now," she said.
Liu currently works with Austrian-born coach Clemens Wagner, whom she hired after the U. S.
Open last season to focus on maintaining an aggressive undertone on grass courts.
"My goals haven't changed, but I think the stress of how I got there really took a toll on me," said Liu.
The American qualifier is playing without clothing or shoe sponsors, securing equipment support from Head Sport and Asics Corp.
Her Wimbledon run has guaranteed her a career-highest payday of approximately $250,000.
"I checked out this morning, and I'm looking for hotels again," Liu said laughing.
She noted that her mother was ultimately able to rebook the same hotel after the match concluded.
"I think I'm going to check back into the same hotel, but we'll see. It's a day-by-day thing for sure," Liu said.
Liu explained to press members that her perspective on major tournaments remains unchanged despite her breakthrough victory.
"When I was younger, I was definitely more, 'Oh, I got this' kind of when you haven't seen anything, it's like your first time and you don't have anything to go off," Liu said.
The player uses her personal newsletter to manage her anxiety and share her perspective on professional tennis life.
"I would actually say no, it hasn't changed. It's a really interesting back-and-forth.
I think I would write another, why I hate Grand Slams part 2. It's the dream, everybody wants it.
That makes it so much bigger than when it's still just one match.
You can just like feel it in the air in the atmosphere and the feeling all of that and then having to bring it back to what's right in front of you is really interesting.
There's still a lot of things that I struggle with, but I mean it's great to still be in a Grand Slam [laughing]," Liu said.
Liu was spotted during the first round of qualifying by journalist Ben Rothenberg, who photographed her before she secured a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Despina Papamichail.
"I feel like a lot of people have said that to me, and I just don't feel it at all," Liu said after that opening qualifying win.
The junior champion acknowledged her mixed emotions regarding her previous milestones and her current WTA ranking.
"Yeah, it's been three years since I played here; I haven't really felt that comfortable, honestly.
So I was a little worried going into this, just because I haven't gotten many matches in general," Liu said.
Liu has utilized writing as an intellectual outlet while traveling on the professional circuit.
"I'm learning to have more gratitude for it," Liu said of her junior triumph.
The player expressed skepticism when told by reporters that her writing was well-received.
"It's not that like I've looked on it like with a sour taste, but I've wished that my professional career could match, you know, what I did in the juniors," Liu said.
Liu regularly compares her current progress to her past achievements in the top-100 tier.
"But it's been helpful having people around me being like, 'No, you can look back on it with something to be proud of.
And even though maybe you aren't content with the way things are going, it's not something that's to compare to.'
Because I think I do that a lot. I also look back on, 'Oh, when I was top-100…'—and it's not helpful," Liu said.
Liu balances her competitive schedule with writing a few posts every several months.
"Oh gosh, really?" Liu said when told her writing was well-received.
Liu noted that she preferred blogging over pursuing a traditional college degree during her athletic career.
"When first started, I remember I just felt like I needed to do something," she said.
The player continuously generates article ideas throughout her tournament schedules.
"I know a lot of people get their degree and stuff, but I just really don't want to do any more school.
I journal a lot, and I liked the idea of writing and putting something out, so I decided to bite the bullet and do it.
I didn't know how it was going to be, but it's been good.
It's been hard to consistently put out stuff like I've seen you and Andrea [Petkovic] do," she said.
Liu praised former professional Andrea Petkovic for her structured writing routine on Substack.
"It's so impressive, and she writes so well," Liu said of Petkovic.
Liu noted that her own publishing schedule remains less frequent by comparison.
"And I'm putting out one like every six months," Liu said.
Liu acknowledged that organizing her analytical thoughts into readable essays presents a persistent challenge.
"I definitely don't have a lack of ideas," Liu replied.
Liu stated that she remained unaware of her upcoming opponent until after her second-round match was completed.
"I think it's just a good challenge for me.
I mean, even this week I've had three or four ideas, but it's a lot harder making it into something," Liu said.
The upcoming match will mark the third career meeting between Liu and Gauff, with Gauff winning both previous hard-court encounters.
"I will just take today to be happy for winning, and then tomorrow I'll think about it," Liu said.
"Obviously she's one of the best players in the world right now, so that'll be a good experience."
Her coach, Clemens Wagner, described Liu as an intense competitor who excels at redirecting pace from the baseline.
"It definitely makes me stay in the moment, like, day by day," Liu smiled of her lodging limbo.
Wagner noted that he recognized the internal difficulties Liu faced before they began working together at the 2025 U.
S. Open.
"I saw in her someone who fought a lot of battles inside herself," says Austrian-born Wagner, who has a background in tennis analytics.
Gauff advanced to the third round after defeating Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-1 and Solana Sierra 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 [10-7].
"I feel like anytime you're playing a qualifier, it's always tough because they have three matches already," the seventh-seeded American said.
Fellow American Jessica Pegula expressed support for Liu's career trajectory and perseverance through the lower tiers of the sport.
"It's always nice to see girls that are figuring it out slowly but surely," the No. 4 seed said.
"I think I can relate to that."
According to the official schedule, the match between Liu and Gauff will follow the men's singles match between Jannik Sinner and Jenson Brooksby on Court No. 1.
