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Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez said it was more important to be a “good human being than a good tennis player” after helping carry a fainting ball girl off court during her Australian Open first-round match.
As Sonmez’s opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova served for the second set, the ball girl – stood beside the umpire’s chair – fell flat on her back before quickly getting back up.
Sonmez sprinted over and helped walk her over to the side of the court, where the youngster received medical attention in the shade.
The ball girl managed to get back to her feet and was helped off court by medical staff, with play resuming after a six-minute delay.
“She was really struggling. She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine,” Sonmez told BBC Sport.
“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.”
Tennis Australia confirmed that the girl had received medical attention on site before going home.
“I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player,” added world number 112 Sonmez.
“It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I’m happy I got to help.”
Russia’s Alexandrova went on to win the second set before qualifier Sonmez fought back from 3-0 down in the decider to complete a 7-5 4-6 6-4 upset on her fourth match point.
“If I see the ball girl tomorrow or later in the tournament I’d love to speak to her,” Somnez added.
Temperatures reached highs of 28C on Sunday at Melbourne Park as the first major of the year got under way, while the mercury is forecast to reach 35C by next weekend.
The Australian Open updated its extreme heat policy (EHP) in 2019 after conducting research into the effects of heat stress on tennis players.
This research led to the development of the heat stress scale (HSS), which is used to decide when the conditions get too challenging, and when players’ health could be at risk.
The HSS, which reaches 5, registered a reading of 2.8 when the ball girl fainted. Advice at that reading is to increase hydration.
‘I won it with heart and guts’ – Jacquemot stuns Kostyuk
Getty ImagesUkraine’s 20th seed Marta Kostyuk also suffered a surprise defeat on day one as she fell to world number 58 Elsa Jacquemot in a record-setting match.
Frenchwoman Jacquemot won 6-7(4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-7) in what was the first triple tie- break match in Melbourne in the Open era.
Jacquemot fought back from a set and 5-3 down and saved a match point before securing victory after a gruelling three hours and 31 minutes.
It was the longest match of the season so far and was just two minutes shy of 2025’s longest match.
“I won it with the heart and with the guts,” Jacquemot said afterwards.
Kostyuk’s exit is even more surprising given her strong start to the season, having beaten three top-10 players on her way to the Brisbane International final last week.
