Putintseva danced defiantly after the match despite the crowd's boos, while Medvedev staged a five-set comeback to face Lerner, sparking widespread discussion.

In the third round of the Australian Open women's singles, Putintseva defeated Sönmez 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 with the full backing of the Turkish crowd, advancing to the Australian Open last 16 for the first time and completing the feat of reaching the round of 16 in all Grand Slam tournaments. After the match, she made dramatic moves and danced openly to answer the boos from the audience.

From the beginning, the match between Putintseva and Turkish player Sönmez was charged with tension. Throughout the match, Turkish fans openly supporting their home player continuously disrupted Putintseva with boos and coughing sounds. This angered the hot-tempered Kazakh player, who lost her composure immediately after the final point.

Putintseva turned around and provocatively stuck out her hips towards the stands, then pulled her ears apart with both hands, and finally blew a theatrical kiss. This sequence of actions ignited the atmosphere, triggering a wave of boos from the crowd.

The post-match on-court interview felt like a battleground filled with tension, as every question asked by the host was drowned out by boos from the audience.

"Honestly, the atmosphere was absolutely wild," Putintseva raised her voice over the noise, "Look at these guys... they're really passionate about their job. It feels great, especially when playing against me. Because I enjoy that kind of confrontation."

Afterwards, she openly criticized the crowd's behavior: "When I was hitting the ball, someone started coughing. At that moment, I thought I might lose, but I was ready to fight until the last moment!" Regarding the audience's inappropriate conduct, Putintseva expressed clear dissatisfaction: "Fans will always have their favorite player, which is part of the charm of competitive sports. But today, there were indeed some situations—the crowd showed disrespect to us and to the sport itself."

In the interview, Putintseva distinguished between different types of spectators: "Some fans understand tennis well, but others don’t know the rules or etiquette. I had no choice but to fight until the very end!"

This match and the post-match conflict quickly went viral on social media, reigniting discussions about the relationship between players and spectators in the tennis world. Former tennis star Mary Carillo commented online: "Tennis needs passion but also mutual respect. Fans have the right to support their favorite players, but this should never turn into disrespect towards opponents."

Tennis journalist Ben Rosenberg pointed out: "Putintseva’s reaction might not have been the most professional, but her point is valid—the crowd’s behavior definitely crossed the line. Tennis spectators need to understand that excessive interference actually harms the integrity of the match."

Some netizens supported Putintseva’s actions, saying, "Bold and fearless! True big sister spirit! Sometimes the interference from some fans is truly unbearable!" Others commented, "It’s hard to imagine! It’s hard to imagine! Why is there such strong bias even before the match starts? It’s difficult to comprehend how much psychological pressure players face competing in such an environment."

Meanwhile, on another court, Medvedev was undergoing a completely different test. Against Hungarian player Marozsan, the Russian staged a classic comeback, winning 6-7(5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3. Coming back from 0-2 down, Medvedev demonstrated his signature resilience and tactical adjustments on the Grand Slam stage by winning three consecutive sets.

However, after this match, waiting for him in the fourth round was his nemesis—Lerner. Medvedev revealed, "I was down 0-2, but I saw on the big screen that Lerner had already won 3-0. My thought was simple—just focus on winning the current match."

“Lerner doesn’t want to face me either. Honestly, in any tournament, neither of us wants to meet the other. Regarding preparation for the next match, I’ll try to be more aggressive,” Medvedev said in his post-match interview, showing full respect for the upcoming challenge.

Lerner also expressed respect when talking about his opponent: "We’ve met three times already, and each match was a battle." He further described their encounters: "Neither of us gives the other an easy time, so I expect the match to be a bit drawn out."

Tennis forum users are already eagerly anticipating the Medvedev vs. Lerner showdown: "Their matches are always a tactical and mental duel, destined to be a draining battle lasting over three hours."

What are your thoughts on such a match? Feel free to share your opinions and insights in the comments section.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)