Yulia Putintseva took on the role of a pantomime villain, enticing an energetic crowd of Turkish supporters during her third-round match against qualifier Zeynep Sonmez at the Australian Open. She won with scores of 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
Kia Arena buzzed with Turkish flags as fans rallied behind Sonmez, who, despite her 112th ranking, was making a remarkable bid to be the first Turkish player to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Open era.
Sonmez, fresh off her first-round victory over No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, appeared to falter early in the second set, but she rallied impressively to win the tiebreak, earning enthusiastic cheers from her supporters.
Putintseva managed to secure the final set, but it was her antics post-match that really stood out.
As the crowd cheered for Sonmez, the Kazakh player amusingly covered her ears and blew a kiss to the Turkish audience, which quickly resulted in a chorus of boos.
After greeting Sonmez at the net, Putintseva danced playfully near her seat, continuing to receive boos during her on-court interview.
“Honestly, the atmosphere was really wild here. Look at them (the Turkish fans); they are deeply passionate,” she commented.
“I enjoy these kinds of challenging situations, especially when I’m at the center of it.”
Putintseva also expressed gratitude toward her Kazakh fans, stating, “They are the best. Sometimes less is better, but their support is invaluable.”
This scene brought to mind Daniel Collins, who blew kisses to booing fans after his win against local favorite Destany Aiava the previous year, joking about his next luxury vacation.
Later, she remarked that it felt a bit disrespectful at times when Turkish fans attempted to distract her by shouting during serves.
“What can I do? Some people have a background in tennis, and unfortunately, some do not,” she shared with reporters.
“But I’m really glad we maintained our composure; last year, I might have reacted differently.”
Sonmez received a warm round of applause as she exited the court, winning over fans not just for her performance, but also for her kindness.
She had previously gone viral after her first-round match for rushing to help a ball girl who had collapsed from the heat.
