{"id":362,"date":"2026-03-31T11:54:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T11:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=362"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:54:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T11:54:53","slug":"australian-open-ball-kid-vomits-on-court-causing-delay-to-stefanos-tsitsipas-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=362","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open ball kid vomits on court causing delay to Stefanos Tsitsipas clash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_cc3189\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Stefano Tsitsipas&#8217; first-round victory over Shintaro Mochizuki at the Australian Open had to be temporarily halted after a ball kid fell ill, vomiting on the court<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36582699\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stefano Tsitsipas waits\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582699.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_australian-open-clash-delayed-ballkid-1052803535.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582699.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_australian-open-clash-delayed-ballkid-1052803535.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582699.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_australian-open-clash-delayed-ballkid-1052803535.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582699.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_australian-open-clash-delayed-ballkid-1052803535.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Stefano Tsitsipas watched as staff cleaned the vomit\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Stefano Tsitsipas watched as staff cleaned the vomit<cite aria-label=\"Image: Discovery Plus\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Discovery Plus)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A match at the Australian Open was delayed after a ball kid vomited on the court. Greek star Stefano Tsitsipas was facing Japan&#8217;s Shintaro Mochizuki in the first round on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Mochizuki took the opening set 6-4 before Tsitsipas bounced back to win the second 6-3. At the start of the third set, however, a ball kid fell ill near the back of the court, as the crowd heard a loud gagging sound.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Play was immediately stopped and medical staff treated the youngster, as both Tsitsipas and Mochizuki returned to their benches. It came less than half an hour after Naomi Osaka&#8217;s game against Antonia Ruzic was suspended at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">TNT Sports&#8217; commentators were initially confused as to why the clash between Mochizuki and Tsitsipas was brought to a halt. &#8220;We&#8217;re delayed here, we&#8217;ll stop and wait for it to get sorted,&#8221; they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong> <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorSport#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"\/><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_13e0b4\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Jannik Sinner responds after Australian Open opponent quits first round match in tears<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_13e0b4\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">The Brits left at Australian Open including Emma Raducanu after heartbreaking incident<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Goodness me, everything is going on. Something in the crowd, is it? At the Rod Laver Arena earlier on, there was a technical issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Hope that this doesn&#8217;t take too long to sort. They are just having to hold fire for a little bit. I think something may have happened on the court and needs to be sorted out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Staff cleaned the vomit up and play continued eight minutes later, with Tsitsipas winning the next two sets 6-2 and setting up a second-round clash with Czechia&#8217;s Tomas Machac. Sadly, the ball kid isn&#8217;t the first to have fallen ill at this year&#8217;s tournament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Who&#8217;ll win the men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s tournaments at the Australian Open? Give us your predictions in the comments section.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36582787\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36582787\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas (R) greets Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki after winning their men's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2026. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST \/ AFP via Getty Images) \/ -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582787.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2256657964.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582787.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2256657964.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582787.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2256657964.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582787.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2256657964.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2<cite aria-label=\"Image: WILLIAM WEST \/ AFP via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: WILLIAM WEST \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Earlier this week, another ball kid fainted during the clash between Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye and Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova. After the girl fell flat on her back while standing by the umpire&#8217;s chair, Sonmez sprinted over to the girl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sonmez got the girl back to her feet and escorted her to a shaded area and play resumed after a six-minute delay. &#8220;She was really struggling,&#8221; Sonmez told <a aria-label=\"BBC SportLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/tennis\/articles\/crmleyxl4kpo\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">BBC Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;She said she was fine but it was really obvious she was not fine. So I went to grab her and said, &#8216;Sit down and drink something, you&#8217;re not fine&#8217;.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36582795\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36582795\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez assists a ball kid after she fainted during Sonmez's women's singles match against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova on day one of the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 18, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY\/AFP via Getty Images) \/ -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582795.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2256280540.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582795.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2256280540.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582795.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2256280540.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36582795.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2256280540.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Zeynep Sonmez was praised for helping the girl\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Zeynep Sonmez was praised for helping the girl<cite aria-label=\"Image: DAVID GRAY\/AFP via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: DAVID GRAY\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;As we were walking she fainted so luckily I grabbed her. She was really shaking. I always say it is more important to be a good human being than a good tennis player.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It was just my instinct to help her and I think everyone would do the same. I&#8217;m happy I got to help.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">TNT commentator Catherine Whitaker hailed Sonmez for her gesture, saying: &#8220;It was actually incredible from Sonmez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The ball kid was in a position where the umpire wouldn&#8217;t have been able to see how much they were struggling, she had the best line of sight and was really alert to what was going on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefano Tsitsipas&#8217; first-round victory over Shintaro Mochizuki at the Australian Open had to be temporarily<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}