The first day of Open the Australia left us a considerable surprise, the elimination of the 11th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Russian fell to Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, from the qualifying phase, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a match marked by the stifling heat that is being experienced in Melbourne and which caused one of the ball girls to faint.
Sonmez, number 112 in the world, was preparing to subtract in the second set when The girl, who was standing next to the referee’s chair, suddenly staggered. and fell on his back.
The girl got up, but stumbled again moments laterwhich led the 23-year-old Turk to stop the game and run towards her.
Among the applause of the public, Sonmez put his arm over her shoulder and led her to a seat. so that the medical staff could treat her.
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Sonmez ended up losing the set, but managed to win 7-5, 4-6 and 6-4, becoming the first Turkish woman to reach the second round of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.
Her victory comes after a 2025 season in which she reached the third round of Wimbledon, which is the best result in a Grand Slam of the professional era for a Turkish woman.
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