Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Australian Open star clashes with fans as she questions their ‘education’

Yulia Putintseva clashed with fans on Friday
Yulia Putintseva clashed with fans on Friday (AP)
  • Yulia Putintseva criticised Australian Open fans for their "disrespectful" behaviour during her third-round victory over Zeynep Sonmez.
  • Putintseva defeated Sonmez 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-3, securing her first-ever spot in the fourth round in Melbourne.
  • The crowd, largely supporting Sonmez, was accused of screaming between Putintseva's serves and coughing during her shots to disrupt her play.
  • Putintseva was booed by the crowd during her post-match interview as she stated “some people have education of tennis, and, unfortunately, some of them not.”
  • To maintain composure, Putintseva revealed she distracted herself by singing an old Russian song about rabbits during the match.
In full

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in