A delay occurred during a match at the Australian Open when a ball kid vomited on the court while Greek player Stefano Tsitsipas was playing against Shintaro Mochizuki from Japan. Mochizuki won the first set 6-4, but Tsitsipas came back to take the second set 6-3. As the third set began, a ball kid fell ill at the back of the court, causing play to stop temporarily for medical attention.
Upon the interruption, both players returned to their benches while the youngster received assistance from medical staff. The incident happened shortly after Naomi Osaka’s match was suspended at the Rod Laver Arena. TV commentators from TNT Sports were momentarily puzzled by the halt in the game.
After the vomit was cleaned up, the match resumed with Tsitsipas winning the next two sets 6-2. He secured a spot in the second round against Tomas Machac from Czechia. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only case of a ball kid falling ill at the tournament.
In a separate incident earlier in the week, a ball kid fainted during a match between Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye and Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova. Sonmez quickly came to the aid of the girl, helping her recover and get back on her feet before play resumed.
Commentators praised Sonmez for her quick and compassionate response to the situation, highlighting her awareness and caring attitude towards the ball kid’s well-being.