Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez and referee Chase Urban help a ball boy who fainted from the heat during the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on January 18, 2026. | Photo credit: AP
The incident happened when Russian 11th seed Alexandrova was serving during the second set, with the girl falling on her back while standing at the bottom of the referee’s chair.
Rising Turkish star Sonmez sprinted over to help as Alexandrova fetched ice packs from a courtside fridge before receiving medical attention.
The game was interrupted for several minutes as the temperature reached 28 degrees Celsius.
When they resumed, qualifier Sonmez stunned Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 for the biggest win of her career.
The 23-year-old made headlines at Wimbledon last year, becoming the first player from Turkey to reach the third round at a Grand Slam in the Open era.
She will then play against the American wildcard Elizabeth Mandlik or against the Hungarian Anna Bondar.
It is known that temperatures can rise above 40 degrees Celsius during the Australian Open. They are forecast to reach a maximum temperature of at least 36 degrees Celsius this week.
Published – Jan 18, 2026 2:29 PM IST
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