Tennis

Tsonga stops in third set, tends to clearly distressed ball girl

Published Jan. 20, 2016 7:57 a.m. ET

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Kerouac Smith

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a winner on Wednesday, and it had little to do with beating Omar Jasika in straight sets at the Australian Open.

The French star took notice of a clearly distressed ball girl in the third set and stopped to check on her. He almost immediatley called for help, then took her arm in his own and led her off the court.

You can watch the video embedded below:

It's a simple gesture, really. Just not one we see very often, especially in the heat of a match. But Tsonga's explanation was so perfect and so simple, it deserves mention.

"I saw she was in trouble. It was normal to help her out of the stadium. I hope she's OK."

Sounds like a pretty good checklist to me.

Officials have since said the ball girl was a little under the weather, but otherwise fine. 

Meanwhile, social media continued to pour praise on Tsonga, as he heads to the third round.

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