Sports

Zeynep Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

January 18, 2026

During her historic first-round victory at the Australian Open, Turkish player Zeynep Sönmez helped a ball girl who collapsed from heat exhaustion. As Sönmez played against Ekaterina Alexandrova, she noticed the ball girl faint and immediately halted the match to assist her, ensuring the girl received medical attention before play resumed.

Zeynep Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Credit: (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Key Highlights

Zeynep Sönmez is the first Turkish woman to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
She defeated the 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
The ball girl collapsed due to heat exhaustion during the match.
Sönmez stopped play to help the ball girl, who was given medical attention.
The match resumed after a six-minute delay.

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Sources

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Zeynep Sönmez rushes to aid ballkid during Australian Open upset win

Key Highlights

Sources

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