Zeynep Sönmez, a Turkish qualifier, paused her match during a first-round upset against No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open to assist an ailing ballkid who fell near the umpire’s chair. After a seven-minute delay for medical assessment, Sönmez resumed play and ultimately won the match 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, marking her first advance to the second round in Australia. Previously, her best Grand Slam performance was reaching the third round at Wimbledon last year.
