Play was halted during an Australian Open first-round match 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. READ: Alex Eala at Australian Open 2026 main draw: What to know Respect to Zeynep Sönmez who went to help this ball kid who fainted beside the court ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iHnX2TDaZ7 — TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 18, 2026 Emerging Turkish star Sonmez […]... Keep on reading: Ball girl collapses in Australian Open heat, players rush to help