Play was halted during an Australian Open first-round match on Sunday when a ball girl fainted as temperatures soared, with players Zeynep Sonmez and Ekaterina Alexandrova rushing to help her. The incident happened as Russian 11th seed Alexandrova was serving during the second set, with the girl falling onto her back while standing at the base of the umpire's chair. Emerging Turkish star Sonmez sprinted over to help while Alexandrova fetched ice bags from a courtside fridge, before she received medical attention. Play was suspended for several minutes with temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius. When they resumed, qualifier Sonmez stunned Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 for the biggest win of her career.

Source: Philippine Star January 18, 2026 10:02 UTC