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Turkish tennis star rushes to help fainting ball girl during Australian Open match - Watch
Zeynep Sonmez rushed towards the ball girl and helped walk her to the side of the court, where she received medical attention in the shade.
Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez clinched a first-round victory against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the ongoing Australian Open 2026. It wasn't her win which got her international attention, but rather her on-court behaviour. Zonmez helped carry a fainting ball girl off the court in the second set.
While Alexandrova was serving for the second set, a ball girl, standing beside the umpire's chair, fell flat on her back before standing up quickly. Sonmez rushed towards her and helped walk her to the side of the court, where she received medical attention in the shade.
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Soon, she got back to her feet and was helped off the court. Meanwhile, play resumed after a six-minute delay.
Here is the video:
Somnez made the headlines last year at Wimbledon 2025. She became the first player from Turkey to reach the third round at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, she said, “She was really struggling. She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine. So I went to grab her and said 'sit down and drink something, you're not fine'.”
"As we were walking she fainted so luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking. I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player.
"It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I'm happy I got to help. If I see the ball girl tomorrow or later in the tournament I'd love to speak to her," she added.
After losing the first set (5-7), Alexandrova went on to win the second set (6-4). But it was Sonmez, who reigned supreme, in an eventual 7-5 4-6 5-4 victory.
