Nasty scenes in the Australian open.
A ball cone collapsed during the ongoing match between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zeynep Sonmez.
Foto: HBO Max
Foto: HBO Max
Foto: HBO Max
Foto: HBO Max
It was at the end of the second set that the ball collapsed – right next to the referee’s chair.
In television images, the ballplayer can be seen struggling with her balance, before she falls helplessly backwards.
Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez was quick to help the young girl off the court.
– It’s the first time we’ve seen it there. But it can get very hot here. It’s incredibly good presence of mind from Sonmez. She had the best view of the ball call, compared to the others, says the English commentator in the HBO Max broadcast.
The match in Melbourne, where it was up to 30 degrees during the day, was interrupted for several minutes before the girl could leave the arena with a doctor by her side.
The result then?
112th-ranked Zeynep Sonmez stormed to victory against 11th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Australian open. The final scores were 7–5, 4–6, 6–4.
