MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Yulia Putintseva turned pantomime villain at the Australian Open on Friday after taunting a raucous crowd of Turkish supporters following her 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3 victory over qualifier Zeynep Sonmez in the third round.
The Kia Arena was transformed into a sea of red Turkish flags as fans flocked to support their unlikely hero Sonmez, ranked 112th in the world, in her bid to become the first player from Turkey to reach a Grand Slam fourth round in the Open Era.
Sonmez, who beat 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round, looked down and out when trailing 3-1 in the second set but roared back to win it in a tiebreak, bringing huge cheers from her compatriots in the stands.
Putintseva held her nerve to win the final set but it was her post-match antics that stole the show.
Amid the cheering for the plucky qualifier, the Kazakh player cupped her hand to her ear and blew kisses to the Turkish fans, immediately eliciting a crescendo of boos.
After shaking hands with Sonmez, Putintseva then danced provocatively near her seat, prompting the Turkish fans to boo her throughout her on-court interview.
“Honestly, it was a really crazy atmosphere here. Look at them (Turkish fans). They’re very passionate about what they’re doing,” the Kazakh player said.
“It’s very great to see, especially against me, because I love this kind of battle.”
Putintseva also thanked the handful of Kazakhstan fans in the crowd, saying: “These guys are the best. It’s better to have less people but better support.”
The scene was reminiscent of Danielle Collins beating local favourite Destanee Aiava at the same court last year before blowing kisses at the booing fans and thanking them for paying for her next five-star vacation.
Putintseva later said she felt the Turkish fans were disrespectful at times for screaming between serves to try to force her into mistakes.
“What can I do? It’s just some people have education of tennis and, unfortunately, some of them not,” she told reporters.
“But I’m very happy that I kept my calm, because Yulia last year would probably throw something at them.”
Sonmez received a rousing ovation when she left the court having not only won the fans over with her results but also her kindness at the tournament.
She went viral on social media after her first-round match where she rushed to the aid of a ball girl who had fainted in the punishing heat.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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