By Richard Pagliaro Friday, January 23, 2026
Image source: Australian Open Facebook
Annoyed by disruptive fans at Kia Arena Yulia Putintseva He vowed to “fight until the death.”
Putintseva meets Türkiye qualifiers Zenep Sonmes Entering the fourth round of the Australian Open 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3, he then celebrated with a kiss of death and a victory dance to the shouting Turkish fans.
It was a landmark moment for Putintseva, who reached the AO fourth round for the first time in 14 appearances at Melbourne Park.
The world No. 94 did not hesitate to express her joy, but she suffered from jeers from Turkish fans throughout her two-hour, 34-minute victory.
Watch Putintseva first cover her ears with her hands and make the “let me hear your voice” gesture, blow kisses to the crowd, point at fans she deemed disruptive, and then dance to her courtside seats after the hard-fought victory.
Yulia Putintseva reacts to the crowd after defeating Zeynep Sonmez at the Australian Open.
The crowd immediately booed as she put her hands to her ears.
Yulia started dancing on the court.
It’s all happening. pic.twitter.com/KqmmP4KYVL
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 23, 2026
Putintseva claimed that fans deliberately screamed and coughed between the first and second serves to distract her.
Rather than canceling out the noise, she turned up the volume, saying all the commotion inspired her to “fight until we die out there.”
“I think today there were definitely a lot of moments of disrespect when they were screaming in between my first words.
and second serve. But screaming, not even that,” Putintseva said. “Like really loud, like, just to throw me off.
“In the match, I think the score was 4-3, which was a big score, and, like, I opened up the court well. I took a forehand and the guy just started, like, coughing just for my shot. I was like, OK, now, I’m not going to lose. Like, really. I was ready to take it all, but I was ready to fight ’til I die there.”
And, I mean, what can I do? It’s just that some people have a tennis education and, unfortunately, some people don’t. “
The 5-foot-4 Kazakh has shown great endurance.
This is Putintseva’s 44th consecutive Grand Slam appearance, tying Katerina Siniakova’s record for the longest Grand Slam main draw among active women.
Putintseva, 31, has now reached at least the fourth round at all four Grand Slam tournaments, with her best Grand Slam finishes coming at the 2020 U.S. Open and quarterfinals at the 2016 and 2018 French Open. Putintseva said the biggest improvement in her game was between the ears, noting that if she had faced this type of crowd conflict last year, she would have probably “thrown something at them.”
“I don’t think they were disrespectful. They were disrespectful at the moment when it was very important and they could see that it was important,” Putintseva said. “Every time I make a shot, they start screaming. Like when she makes a great shot and I’m still there, they’re like, yeah.
“When the ball came to my side they screamed for my shot too, which honestly distracted everyone, especially in such heat. But I’m glad I kept my cool because last year Yulia would have probably thrown something at them
at some point. “
Of course, this isn’t the first time players have clashed with Melbourne fans.
Last January, American Danielle Collins raised her hand to make her voice louder to the booing Australian fans after knocking Australia’s Destanee Aiava out in the third round of AO at Kia Arena. Collins fired back at hostile fans with gestures and postgame remarks.
“It’s a really amazing feeling as an athlete because people who don’t like you or hate you are going to buy into you, so it’s a very rewarding feeling,” Collins said. “Thanks for the paycheck, Australia.”
In the first match of AO, Putintseva defeated Brazilian player Beatriz Haddad Maia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the last five games.
Putintseva, who looked visibly irritated by the rowdy Brazilian fans and then had some technical issues and some harsh feedback from the referee’s microphone, let her opponents and fans know how she felt in victory with a big bow and this dance:
Yulia Putintseva reacts to the crowd after defeating Bia Haddad Maia at the Australian Open.
etc……
💀💀💀💀💀
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 18, 2026
Putintseva must bring her best tennis against hot 18-year-old American Eva Jovich A spot in the quarterfinals is up in the air.
No. 27 Jovic beats seventh seed for first career top-10 win Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6(3) with six service breaks.
Jovic then credited advice from ten-time AO champion Novak Djokovic as her secret weapon as the key to her unexpected victory.
“Yeah, I actually had a little chat with Novak yesterday. So it’s unbelievable,” Jovic said. “He gave me some really careful game tips that I could try to incorporate into this game that I just had.
“So that’s one of my biggest concerns because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it.”
Although she is only playing in her sixth major draw, Jovic is well aware of Putintseva’s knack for inciting a crowd and said her game plan is simple: focus on the ball and take care of things.
“I mean, hopefully I can keep it simple and not get too involved with the crowd and all that stuff
It works,” Jovic said. “Hopefully I can play better tennis.
“But first time, first meeting. So I’ve seen her play some games. Now that I know I’m going to be playing her, I’m definitely going to watch some more video. I mean, she’s been around for a while. She’s got a lot of experience and she’s definitely at this stage of the game for a reason.
“It’s going to be tricky, but I think if I continue to take care of business, like I said before, it’s going to be a good race.”
