Yulia Putintseva booed for dancing in front of Turkish fans after beating qualifier Zeynep Sonmez

Putintseva specifically thanked her small cohort of fans, running over to throw them her towel after the game.

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“I was grateful for them … they were a small group, but they were very, very supportive,” she said.

It was the end of a fairytale run for 23-year-old qualifier Sonmez, who was aiming to become the first Turkish player to progress past the third round at a major.

At Wimbledon in 2025, Sonmez became the first Turkish player to reach the third round of a grand slam — a feat she equaled at Melbourne Park this tournament.

Sonmez attracted an impressive following, with too many Turkish flags to count at her match. Before the first game had even started, the cheer squad had already broken into chants encouraging their young sensation.

Fans cheered whenever she hit a good forehand, and gasped when her shots went into the net. Sonmez was becoming visibly frustrated towards the end of the match, often gesturing towards her coaching box.

It was an electric atmosphere inside the practically full Kia Arena. But the vibe also came with its fair share of warnings from the umpire.

Putintseva made multiple complaints about noise during the match, frequently glancing at the chair umpire and gesturing towards the crowd.

The crowd was warned about excessive noise, mainly for shouting during a point or cheering in between serves.

“I’m very happy that I kept my calm, because Yulia last year would probably throw something at them at some moment,” Putintseva said after the match while laughing.

She will face either Iva Jokic or Jasmine Paolini in her fourth round match.