Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez came to the aid of a ball girl who collapsed due to heat exhaustion as the qualifier went on to claim a historic victory for her country at the Australian Open.
Sonmez became the first Turkish woman to reach the second round of the Australian Open as she knocked out the 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 on the 1573 Arena.
Midway through the match, as Sonmez was about to receive serve, the ball girl stood underneath the umpire’s chair fell to her back before continuing to look unsteady as she got back to her feet.
On a sunny opening day in Melbourne, with temperatures reaching 28c, play was stopped by the umpire as Sonmez came to the ball girl’s side and helped her off the court.
Sonmez’s intervention came just in time as the ball girl then fainted again while being helped to a shaded seat, as tournament officials and medics stepped in to offer her water.
When the match continued after a brief delay, Sonmez required two hours and 27 minutes to complete her victory over the world No 11 Alexandrova, a result that continues a brilliant after the 23-year-old came through qualifying to reach the main draw.
Sonmez also made history at last year’s Wimbledon as she became the first Turkish player to reach the third round of a grand slam. Her victory at the Australian Open came in a raucous atmosphere as many fans waved Turkish flags.
