By Micah Jonah
January 18, 2026
Turkish tennis player, Zeynep Sonmez won hearts, advanced to the second round at the Australian Open on Sunday after rushing to aid a ball girl who had fainted in the extreme Melbourne heat.
Sonmez, ranked 112th in the world, was facing 11th seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova when the ball girl collapsed near the chair umpire. The 23-year-old stopped play, helped the girl to a seat, and waited for medical staff to provide treatment while the crowd applauded her action.
Despite losing the second set, Sonmez secured a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory, becoming the first Turkish woman to reach the second round at Melbourne Park. Her performance follows a strong 2025 season, in which she reached the third round at Wimbledon, marking the best Grand Slam result for a Turkish woman in the professional era, and also advanced to the second round at the US Open.
