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Zeynep Sonmez Stuns 11th Seed, Aids Ball Girl in Dramatic Australian Open Win

Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey scored a significant upset by defeating 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in a grueling three-set match at the Australian Open. The contest, lasting over two hours, was highlighted by Sonmez's remarkable composure during critical points. In a notable act of sportsmanship, Sonmez paused the match to personally assist a ball girl who had collapsed on court due to the heat. Her victory marks the first time a Turkish player has advanced to the second round of the tournament.

Key Points: Zeynep Sonmez Beats Ekaterina Alexandrova at Australian Open

  • Major first-round upset
  • Three-set battle over two hours
  • Paused match to aid collapsed ball girl
  • First Turkish player in tournament's second round
  • Sealed victory with clutch final set
2 min read

Australian Open: Zeynep beats 11th seed Ekaterina to reach second round

Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez upsets 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in a three-set thriller at the Australian Open, pausing to help a collapsed ball girl.

"Sonmez grabbed everyone's attention... she came to help the ball girl who collapsed due to excessive heat."

Melbourne, Jan 18

Zeynep Sonmez produced a spirited performance to defeat Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open on Saturday, becoming the first Turkish player to advance to the second round of the tournament.

Playing at the 1573 Arena, Sonmez showed remarkable composure in a closely fought three-set contest that lasted over two hours. Despite being up against the experienced 11th seed Alexandrova, the Turkish player stayed calm at key moments to seal a memorable victory.

The opening set saw both players trade heavy baseline shots, with Alexandrova relying on her powerful serve. Sonmez, however, absorbed the pressure well and broke serve late in the set to take it 7-5.

Alexandrova responded strongly in the second set, improving her first-serve effectiveness and dictating play from the baseline. The Russian broke Sonmez midway through the set and went on to claim it 6-4, pushing the match into a decider.

Sonmez grabbed everyone's attention during the middle of the match as she came to help the ball girl who collapsed due to excessive heat. The incident happened just before Sönmez was about to serve. After seeing the ball girl down, Sönmez went to her side and took her off the court by putting her arm over her shoulder.

The final set remained tight throughout, with neither player willing to give away easy points. Sonmez continued to fight hard from the back of the court and stayed composed during long rallies. She held her nerve to close out the match 6-4.

Although Alexandrova fired 10 aces during the match, she was hampered by seven double faults. Sonmez made the most of her chances, converting eight of her 17 break points and winning more points on her second serve. Sonmez had a 56% win on the 1st serve and a 52% win on the 2nd, while her opponent, Alexandrova, had 67 % win percentage on the first serve and only 34 % in the second.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Great to see an underdog win! The stats are interesting - Alexandrova's second serve was a real weakness (only 34% win). Zeynep capitalized perfectly. Hope she can carry this momentum forward. Indian players can learn from this kind of composure.
A
Aman W
The part about helping the ball girl is the real highlight for me. In the middle of such an important match, she showed her humanity first. That's the kind of athlete we need more of. Bravo, Zeynep! Wishing her all the best for the next round.
S
Sarah B
A respectful criticism: The article focuses a lot on the ball girl incident (which was noble), but I wish there was more technical analysis of *how* she won. Her break point conversion (8/17) was key. Still, a wonderful story of perseverance.
K
Karthik V
Over two hours in that heat... these athletes are superhuman. Makes me appreciate the physical conditioning required. Good to see Turkish tennis getting a moment on the global stage. The Australian Open always delivers these inspiring early-round matches.

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