Australian Open 2026: Zeynep Sonmez helps ball girl who collapsed during her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova

At the Australian Open, Zeynep Sönmez from Türkiye rushed to the aid of the ball girl who fainted during the surprise win over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the qualifiers.

While Alexandrova was serving in the second set to tie the tie, the ball girl standing next to the referee’s chair fell on her back and quickly stood up.

Sönmez ran to him and helped him walk to the side of the field, where he received medical attention in the shade.

The ball girl managed to get to her feet and was helped off the field by medical staff, play restarting after a six-minute delay.

Russian 11th seed Alexandrova went on to win the set, but world number 112 Sönmez fought back from 3-0 down to complete her fourth match point with a 7-5 4-6 6-4 defeat.

It was the biggest win of the 23-year-old’s career and took him into the second round at Melbourne Park for the first time.