The match between Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez and Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova had to be stopped as a ball girl standing near the umpire’s chair fainted on court.
A first-round women’s singles clash in the Australian Open 2026 between Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez and Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova was halted after a ball girl collapsed on the court amid high temperatures in Melbourne. Both the players rushed to the aid of the fainted girl to ensure that she gets medical attention as quickly as possible.
The incident happened as the 11th seed Alexandrova was preparing to serve while Sonmez stood in attention to receive in the second set. However, Turkish star Sonmez saw the girl standing besides the umpire’s chair in discomfort as she could not stand still and kept falling backwards.
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Sonmez stopped play and quickly reached towards the ball girl. The Turkish player put her arm around the girl and carried her to the sidelines. As she was being escorted to the sidelines for medical attention, the girl completely fainted and lost control. Alexandrova fetched ice bags from a courtside fridge and the girl then received medical attention.
El susto del día en Melbourne ❤️🩹
Zeynep Sonmez ayudó a una joven recogepelotas que colapsó durante el partido.#AusOpen #AO26 pic.twitter.com/WzzN80eM5J
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) January 18, 2026
Sonmez wins hearts and then match
Sonmez won hearts for her awareness and quick response towards the fainting girl. Once the match resumed, the Turkish youngster stunned Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to register the biggest win of her career.
Speaking to BBC Sport after her win, she said, “She was really struggling. She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine. So I went to grab her and said ‘sit down and drink something, you’re not fine’.”
“As we were walking she fainted so luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking. I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player.
“It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I’m happy I got to help. If I see the ball girl tomorrow or later in the tournament I’d love to speak to her,” she added.
Sonmez had earlier made headlines last year at Wimbledon where she became the first player from Turkey to reach the third round at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
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