Australian Open ballgirl collapses as Federico Delbonis and Pedro Martinez rush to help
A FIRST-ROUND match at the Australian Open was delayed as players rushed to a ballgirl's aid after she collapsed on the side of the court.
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A first-round match at the Australian Open was put on hold as players rushed to a ballgirl's aid after she collapsed on the side of the court. Spain's Pedro Martinez and Argentina's Federico Delbonis were battling it out in a first-set tiebreak at Court 17 at Melbourne Park when the drama unfolded.
Delbonis was the one who first paused as he seemingly spotted the girl fainting at the far side of the arena, and he duly put down his racquet and sprinted over to offer assistance.
Martinez too was on hand to help, whilst line judges stepped in to offer her water before helping her into a nearby chair.
Unselfishly, the players remained with her while she was receiving medical attention, despite their match being at a critical point.
After being cleared by tournament medical staff to go home, and treated by a designated 'ballkids’ nurse', the youngster was picked up by family members and taken home.
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A video of the incident was posted on Twitter by the Wide World of Sports Account, along with the wording "Federico Delbonis and Pedro Martinez, take a bow. Didn't hesitate to help a ballkid who'd just collapsed in the heat."
And fans were quick to praise the actions of the pair, with @Brony09 saying "Great job Delbonis and Martinez thank you for being observant and sincerely concerned, even assisting this young ball boy!"
A report from 7NEWS.com.au however, stated the girl's condition improved shortly afterwards and it was as of yet unclear what had caused her to collapse.
When the two players returned to the court, an epic tiebreak ensued, with Spaniard Martinez eventually taking it 17-15.
Delbonis responded though, winning the second set 6-3 to level the match, but that was as good as it got for the Argentinian as Martinez then upped the ante thereafter.
The world no 60 took the third set 6-4, and then was comfortable in the next set to win 6-4 as he booked a place in round two - where he'll play world no 16 Cristian Garin on Wednesday.
The actions of the two players brought some welcome positive publicity to the tournament, following the controversial visa saga surrounding top seed Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian was eventually deported out of Australian on Sunday night having had his visa revoked for a second time, with a subsequent appeal failing.
On Tuesday, Tennis Australia released a statement on Tuesday expressing "deep regret" over the affair.