&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Ball girl collapses at Australian Open 2026; Zeynep Sonmez rushes to help, wins hearts - WATCH")
Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez earned praise from fans at the Australian Open 2026 for her heartfelt gesture on the court. She was playing 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday (Jan 18), when a ball kid suddenly fainted during the match. Sonmez immediately stopped play and rushed to help, supporting the young girl and guiding her toward the shade. When the ball kid fainted again, Sonmez gently lifted her and helped her to sit on a chair near the side of the court. Medical staff quickly arrived and took over the situation.
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The crowd applauded Sonmez for her calm and thoughtful actions. The players waited for the ball kid and medical staff to leave the arena before resuming the match after a delay of around seven minutes.
When the match resumed, Sonmez went on to lose the second set but she was able to secure a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win and become the first woman from Turkey to reach the second round of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.
Her performance in Melbourne comes after a strong 2025 season, during which she reached the third round at Wimbledon, the best Grand Slam result by a Turkish woman and advanced to the second round of the US Open.
Playing in difficult heat and under pressure, Sonmez handled everything with calmness and walked off the court with a win and a moment that may be remembered as much as the result itself.
