Yulia Putintseva played the role of villain to perfection at the Australian Open on Friday.
Following her defeat of fan favourite Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 in the third round, Putintseva put on a show of a whole different kind.
After scoring the winning point, the Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis star dropped her racket and began to mock the crowd while celebrating.
As boos descended from Turkish supporters of Sonmez, Putintseva cupped her ear towards the stands before blowing kisses while she gathered her equipment.
Although she respectfully shook hands with Sonmez and the chair umpire, she continued to gesture towards the crowd before strutting off the court and dancing on the sidelines.
The crowd at Kia Arena had been behind Sonmez vocally during the match, with fans also waving Turkish flags in support of the 112th-ranked qualifier, who was attempting to become the first player from her country to make the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Predictably, Putintseva was booed during her post-match interview, though she did compliment the Turkish fans for their passion.
What did Putintseva say?
“Honestly, it was a really crazy atmosphere here. Look at them (Turkish fans). They’re very passionate about what they’re doing,” she 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.”
During her post-match press conference, Putintseva explained the reason behind her post-match antics, saying the crowd was using questionable tactics to throw her off her game.
“The guy started coughing just for my shot. I was like, OK now I’m not gonna lose,” she said. “I was ready to fight until I die there.”
“What can I do? It’s just some people have education of tennis and, unfortunately, some of them not,” she added.
“But I’m very happy that I kept my calm, because Yulia last year would probably throw something at them.”
What did Putintseva do at the U.S. Open?
In fact, it was two years ago that she went viral for another incident at a major tournament.
Putintseva made headlines for her questionable attitude at the 2024 U.S. Open in an incident involving a ball girl.
During a match against Jasmine Paolini, the Kazakh pro stood on the court and faced the crowd when the ball girl looked to get her attention. After Putintseva made a gesture with her hand, the ball girl bounced two balls towards her, which the Kazakh simply let bounce off her chest and then foot.
As the crowd began to boo the perceived lack of sportsmanship, Putintseva caught a third ball bounced in her direction before retrieving one of the first two.
The ball girl appeared to be shocked by the situation and stood with her hands outward before running to the side of the court.
Why is Sonmez a fan favourite?
On the other hand, Sonmez went viral earlier this week when she took some time to help attend to a ball girl who fainted due to the overwhelming heat at the tournament.
During her opening-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday, the 23-year-old player was receiving a serve in the ninth game of the second set when the ball girl lost balance and stumbled backwards near the umpire’s chair.
The girl wobbled and fell on her back, but quickly got back up, though unsteadily.
That’s when Sonmez put her hand up to suspend play as she went courtside to help the girl to find some shade to sit in. The crowd applauded her move.