When Zeynep Sonmez learned that she would face Coco Gauff in the first round of the U.S. Open, she did the opposite of what you might expect. She immediately canceled practice. That’s because Sonmez’s practice partner that day was her opponent, Coco Gauff.

It’s a small logistical absurdity, the kind the draw occasionally produces. But it’s also the only thing about this week that’s out of the ordinary for Sonmez. Everything else, she insists, is exactly the same as it’s always been.

“I have tried not to change anything in my life. I’m basically doing the same things,” she told Court Theory in an interview last week when asked about her steady, meaningful rise over the last 12 months that has kept her hovering around the WTA top 50. “I go and I practice. I go to the gym. I do my mental work. And I didn’t change anything, to be honest. I’m just trying to improve my game, more and more.”

That’s an important distinction. Not changing course, but tightening it. The results — a career-high ranking, some key wins, and deep runs at important tournaments — haven’t altered the process. If anything, they’ve clarified it for the 24-year-old from Turkiye.