2003 Ford Explorer sport, My hatch door will not open. I need to get into the door from inside th car. How do I get to the workings?

that wasn't the 'tennis ball with a hole' solution, because that one is too easy~

"Slim-Jing" would be my first thought....surprised to find them at the dollar store here in El Cerrito~

or the good ole-fashioned straitened coat hanger with a little surgical precision~

was surprised that AAA used "cheese wedges" to pry the frame of the door open and used basically a yardstick to open the passenger side~