Australian Open, Zeynep Sonmez stuns 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova: Stats
What's the story
The opening day of the Australian Open 2026 saw No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova get stunned by Zeynep Sonmez. The latter won the contest 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Notably, the match witnessed an unexpected interruption when a ball kid collapsed. The incident occurred at the 1573 Arena as Alexandrova was making a comeback, leading to an immediate suspension of play. Both players rushed to assist the fallen ball kid, while court attendants were also called in for help. Here's more.
Emergency response
Medical assistance called as match delayed
The umpire quickly called for medical assistance and announced to the audience that the match would be delayed. Commentator Catherine Whitaker emphasized the importance of the ball kid's welfare over the match itself. The incident occurred at a crucial moment in Alexandrova's game, with deuce on her serve when play was interrupted. After some time, medics arrived and helped the ball kid off as fans applauded their exit.
Game resumption
Match resumes but Alexandrova's momentum is disrupted
The break in play appeared to have affected Alexandrova's momentum as she was broken when the match resumed. The Turkish fans at the 1573 Arena were ecstatic, chanting and cheering for Sonmez. However, the qualifier was broken in the next game, with Alexandrova taking the set 6-4 to force a decider. Despite an early lead in the third and final set, Alexandrova couldn't hold on as Sonmez pulled off an upset victory with a score of 7-5 4-6 6-4.
Twitter Post
Turkish delight!
SUPER SONMEZ 🇹🇷
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026
Zeynep Sonmez becomes the first player from Turkey to reach the second round at the Australian Open 👏 pic.twitter.com/rDLdQg63dQ
Do you know?
Alexandrova's horrific run at AO continues
This was the 6th time Alexandrova has bowed out of the Australian Open opening round in women's singles. Meanwhile, this was the 3rd successive season in which she got ousted in the 1st round. She is now 7-10 at the Australian Open.
Information
4th win for Sonmez at Grand Slams
Sonmez made her Australian Open debut in 2025 and lost the opening-round clash. Overall, she is now 4-4 at Slam events in women's singles. She picked up two wins at 2025 Wimbledon and another victory at 2025 US Open.
Match stats
What about the match stats?
Sonmez doled out four aces compared to her opponent's 10. She committed five double faults, two lesser than Alexandrova's 7. Notably, she clocked 30 winners with Alexandrova managing 24. In terms of unforced errors, Sonmez's 49 edged past Alexandrova's 47. Sonmez had a 56% win on the 1st serve and a 52% win on the 2nd.
Twitter Post
Biggest win!
WHAT A PERFORMANCE 🇹🇷
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026
Zeynep Sonmez topples No.11 seed Alexandrova to secure the biggest win of her career! @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/4gBNxxxmkZ