Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez is through to the second round of the Australian Open after a dramatic first-round encounter when she provided immediate aid to a ball girl who collapsed during the match. In a match marred by soaring temperatures in Melbourne, Sonmez, ranked 112 in the world, stopped playing in the second set to help an unwell ball girl, drawing widespread praise from both the crowd and the tennis community.
The Turkish player eventually defeated 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to become the first Turkish woman to reach the second round of the opening Grand Slam of the year.
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As play stopped, spectators watched as Sonmez ran to the ball girl as she fell next to the referee’s chair. The girl tried to get to her feet but stumbled again. Sonmez put an arm over the girl’s own shoulder and led her to the medical aid seat. The hit drew applause from the crowd, which witnessed both competitive and sportsmanship.
Despite the break and losing the second set, Sonmez kept her composure to clinch the match. Her reaction to the incident was clear.
“I always say it’s more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player. It was just my instinct to help her and anyone would do the same. I’m happy to help,” Sonmez told the BBC.
Organizers later confirmed that the prom girl returned home after treatment.
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Sonmez’s victory capped the milestone as she waved to fans and left the court wrapped in a Turkish flag, with fans celebrating her achievement in the stands of the 1573 Arena at Melbourne Park. When asked about the prom girl, Sonmez added:
“If I see her at the tournament tomorrow or later, I’d like to talk to her.
“She was really struggling. She said she was fine but it was really obvious she wasn’t,” and: “So I went to grab her and said ‘sit down and have a drink, you’re not alright’. As we were walking she passed out, luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking.”
Sonmez’s performance followed a strong 2025 season that saw her reach the third round at Wimbledon, the best Grand Slam result for a Turkish woman in the professional era, and also advance to the second round at the US Open. Her Australian Open campaign now adds another chapter to her country’s tennis history.
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Published on:
January 18, 2026