MELBOURNE, Australia
In a moment that transcended sport, Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sönmez halted her first-round Australian Open match to help a distressed ballkid on Sunday before completing a stunning upset over 11th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova.
With temperatures hovering near 29 Celsius (84 Fahrenheit), Sönmez was receiving serve in the second set when a ballkid near the umpire’s chair wobbled and stumbled backward.
The 23-year-old immediately raised her hand to stop play, rushed over, and steadied the child, guiding her toward the shade.
As tournament officials arrived, Sönmez gently lifted the ballkid into a chair. Medical staff then took over to treat what appeared to be a heat-related incident. After a seven-minute delay, play resumed.
Sönmez refocused to close out the match, securing one of the tournament’s early upsets—a victory defined as much by her composure and compassion as by her powerful groundstrokes.
By James Kisoo
