Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez came to the aid of a ball girl who fainted during her 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory over No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday in the first round of the Australian Open.
Alexandrova was serving for the second set with the temperature at 29 degrees Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) when the ball girl fell flat on her back near the umpire’s chair at Melbourne Park.
She quickly got up but was unsteady on her feet, prompting Sonmez to ask to halt play and help the girl to the side of the court. From there, the girl received medical attention in the shade.
Play resumed after a six-minute delay. Alexandrova went on to win the set, however the 23-year-old Sonmez — ranked No. 112 in the world — rallied from down 3-0 in the deciding set to beat her Russian opponent.
Sonmez swept six of the final seven games and converted her fourth match point. She became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to win a match at the Australian Open after becoming the second to reach the main draw.
–Field Level Media
