Zeynep Sonmez ran to help a fainting ball girl to her seat during a shock victory in the first round.
Published January 18, 2026
Zeynep Sonmez was etched in the hearts of fans during the second round of the Australian Open, as was the moment the Turkish qualifier rushed to the aid of a ball girl who had fainted in the brutal Melbourne heat.
The world No. 112 faced No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday and was waiting to be served in the second set when the girl, who was next to the referee, suddenly stumbled and fell onto her back on the first day of the main event.
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The girl stood up, but then quickly stumbled again and Sonmez, 23, stopped playing and ran towards her.
As the crowd applauded, Sonmez put his arm around the girl’s shoulder and guided her to a seat so medical staff could treat her.
Sonmez continued to lose sets, but won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, becoming the first woman from Turkiye to reach the second round of the year’s first Grand Slam.
When Russia’s Alexandrova found the back of the net, clinching victory for Turkey, Sonmez held her head in disbelief and waved to supporters in the stands.
The crowd favorite left the court wrapped in the Turkish flag as his country’s red and white flag was waved by fans inside Melbourne Park’s 1573 Arena.
In a 2024 interview, Sonmez said that if she hadn’t become a tennis player, she would have worked to make the world a better place.
“I would like to be someone who tries to help people, like children and women,” she told Turkiye Today.
“There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world today, like wars, so I’d probably be there (helping people).”
Sonmez’s victory helped her reach the third round at Wimbledon in 2025, marking the best Grand Slam result for a Turkish woman in the professional era.
He also advanced to the second round at the US Open in September.
