Australian Open Heatwave Sees Ball Girl Collapse Mid-Match

Play was halted during an Australian Open first-round match on Sunday (January 18, 2026) 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 Celsius. When they resumed, qualifier Sonmez stunned Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 for the biggest win of her career. The 23-year-old made headlines at Wimbledon last year, becoming the first player from Turkey to reach the third round at a Grand Slam in the Open era. She will play either American wildcard Elizabeth Mandlik or Hungary’s Anna Bondar next. Temperatures have been known to soar past 40C during the Australian Open. They are forecast to reach a high of at least 36C this week.