Zehra Erdem

Zehra Erdem
Personal information
Born (2001-06-23) 23 June 2001
Erzincan, Turkey
Sport
CountryTurkey
SportBadminton
EventWomen's singles & doubles
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Turkey
European Team Championships
2026 Istanbul Women's team

Zehra Erdem (born 23 June 2001) is a Turkish badminton player. She was part of the national U15, U17 and U19 reams before she became a member of the women's national team.

Sport career

Erdem started playing badminton at the age of nine inspired by her friends, who used to go to the nearby sports hall for badminton exercise, and by the flying of the shuttlecock in the air.[1] She is a member of Erzincan İl Özel İdaresi SK in her hometown.[2] In 2013, she was selected to the Turkey national team.[1] She became champion at the European U15 and U17 Championships as the first Turkish player.[2] She was named among the four "Best Youth Badminton Players 2017" by the European Federation.[3] At the 2018 European U19 Championships, she won a bronze medal. She was nominated for the "Youngest Successful Badminton Player of Europe in 2018", and was selected the runners-up.[2] In 2016, she won the gold medal in the girls' doubles event with teammate Bengisu Erçetin at the European U15 Badminton Championships in Kazan, Russia.[4]

At the 2017 European U17 Badminton Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, she received a bronze medal in the girls's singles and the gold medal in the doubles with Bengisu Erçetin.[5] She took a bronze medal in the girls' doubles with Ece Sare Başakın at the 2018 European Junior Badminton Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.[6] In 2019, she took a bronze medal in the mixed doubles with Emre Sönmez, and the gold medal in the women's doubles with İlayda Nur Özelgül at the Hellas International Tournament in Mikra Kalamaria, Greece.[7][8] The same year at the Turkey Open Tournament in Ankara, she became runner-up in the doubles with İlayda Nur Özelgül.[9] Erdem was part of the national team at the 2020 European Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships in Liévin, France,[10] that ranked sixth. In 2021 at the Bulgarian International Championship, she and her teammate Emre Sönmez became the runner-up in the mixed doubles event.[11]

She won the champions title with her college team at the 2022 Turkish Inter-University Badminton Super League Championships in Afyonkarahisar, and captured the gold medal in the women's singles event. With this result, the college team qualified to participate at the 2022 European Universities Games in Łódź, Poland.[12] In September she transferred to Fos-sur-Mer club to play in the French Badminton Super League.[2] At the Bonn International Tournament in 2024, she won the doubles with Yasemen Bektaş.[13] In 2025, she won the singles event at the Bulgarian International Championship.[14]

She competed in the women's singles event at the 2026 European Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.[2][15] She made three singles matches, winning all.[16] The Turkey women's team lost the semifinals match against Bulgaria, and took a bronze medal.[17]

Achievements

International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2025 Bulgarian International Durga Kandrapu 21–19, 21–14 Winner

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2019 Turkey International İlayda Özelgül Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		13–21, 15–21 Runner-up
2019 Hellas International İlayda Özelgül Wiktoria Adamek
Wiktoria Dąbczyńska 		13–21, 21–12, 23–21 Winner
2024 Bonn International Yasemen Bektaş Hsieh Yi-en
Ko Ruo-hsuan 		21–14, 21–6 Winner

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2021 Bulgarian International Emre Sönmez Kristian Kræmer
Amalie Cecilie Kudsk 		15–21, 15–21 Runner-up
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

Junior International (1 title, 7 runner-up)

Girls' doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2016 Turkey Junior International İlayda Özelgül Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		10–21, 13–21 Runner-up
2017 Hellas Junior International İlayda Özelgül Magdalena Kulska
Zuzanna Parysz 		21–13, 21–19 Winner
2017 Valamar Junior International İlayda Özelgül Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		9–21, 10–21 Runner-up
2017 Bulgarian Junior International İlayda Özelgül Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		9–21, 13–21 Runner-up
2017 Turkey Junior International İlayda Özelgül Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		8–10 Runner-up
2018 Turkey Junior International Ece Basakin Bengisu Erçetin
Nazlıcan İnci 		16–21, 16–21 Runner-up
2019 Bulgarian Junior International Bengisu Erçetin Aditi Bhatt
Tanisha Crasto 		15–21, 21–18, 18–21 Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2019 Hellas Junior International Semih Basakin Huang Yu-kai
Wei Wan-yi 		11–21, 19–21, 21–23 Runner-up
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament
  BWF Junior International Series tournament
  BWF Junior Future Series tournament

Personal life

Zehra Erdem was born in Erzincan, eastern Turkey,[2] on 23 June 2001.[16] She studied at the Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University in her hometown.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Kahyaoğlu, Bilal (18 December 2025). "Avrupa şampiyonu milli badmintoncu Zehra Erdem gelecekten umutlu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Yalçınkaya, Barış (21 October 2022). "Milli badmintoncu Zehra Erdem'in hedefi olimpiyat şampiyonluğu". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  3. ^ Yalçınkaya, Barış (12 April 2018). "Milli badmintoncu Zehra Erdem'in gözü olimpiyatlarda". Anadolu News Agency (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Badmintonda Bengisu Erçetin ve Zehra Erdem Avrupa şampiyonu oldular" (in Turkish). İstanbul Kemah Spor Kulübü. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Badmintoncu Kızlarımız Avrupa Şampiyonu" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Badminton'da Bir İlk" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Hellas International 2019 - XD". BWF. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Şampiyon Zehra Erdem ve İlayda Nur Özelgül" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Büyüklerde Türkiye Şampiyonları Madalyalarına Kavuştu" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Avrupa Takımlar Badminton Şampiyonası". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 12 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Erzincanlı sporcular Badminton Milli takımının gururu oldu". İhlas News Agency (in Turkish). 13 October 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  12. ^ a b "Üniversitemiz Badminton Takımından Büyük Başarı" (in Turkish). Erzincan Binali Yıldırım Üniversitesi. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Almanya'da Millilerimizden 1 Altın, 1 Gümüş Madalya" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  14. ^ ""YONEX Bulgarian International Championship 2025" Turnuvası'nda Altın ve Bronz Madalya" (in Turkish). Türkiye Badminton Federasyonu. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  15. ^ "2026 European Men's & Women's Team Championships". BWF. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  16. ^ a b "Zehra Erdem". HSBC BWFWorld Tour Finals Hangzhou. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Kadın Milli Badminton Takımı, Avrupa Şampiyonası'nda bronz madalya kazandı". Fanatik (in Turkish). 14 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
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