Yulia Putintseva did not just win a tennis match. She won a battle of focus. In a spirited third-round clash at the 2026 Australian Open, the 31-year-old from Kazakhstan outlasted qualifier Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3, turning down the noise and turning up her game to book a spot in the Round of 16 — her best result in Melbourne.

This one took 2 hours and 34 minutes and more than a few deep breaths. Putintseva had to deal with a charged, Turkish-leaning crowd, coughs and shouts cutting through key moments, and the sting of letting a chance to serve out the match at 6-5 in the second set slip away. But as the stakes rose, so did her resolve.

“I think it was 4-3 [in the third set], was a big point,” she said. “I opened the court very good. I take my forehand — the guy just started, like, coughing just for my shot. I was like, ‘OK, now I’m not going to lose.’ … I was ready to fight like until I die there.”

Hostile noise, hard-nosed tennis

The match story began with the atmosphere. Sonmez, who became the first Turkish player to reach a Grand Slam third round, rode a wave of support from the stands. That energy also crossed a line at times, according to Putintseva, who noted fans “screaming between my first and second serve” in a way she felt was meant to force mistakes.

Putintseva did not bite. She acknowledged the behavior, called it disrespectful, and then moved on. “I’m very happy that I kept my calm,” she said, adding with a smile that “Yulia last year would probably throw something at them at some moment.” This time, she stayed composed — and that was the difference.

“Is this the calmest Putintseva we’ve seen? Winning with fire, not fury.”

Putintseva vs Sonmez: momentum swings at the Australian Open

The first set went to Putintseva 6-3 as she set the tone with early depth and footspeed, taking time away from Sonmez’s swings. In the second, the Kazakh led 6-5 and stood two points from the finish before the qualifier forced a tiebreak. Sonmez stayed brave there, stealing the set 7-6(3) and igniting the crowd.

That could have cracked Putintseva. Instead, she reset. The decider settled into tight holds until 4-3, when the match turned again. As a cough echoed during a Putintseva forehand, she smacked the ball through the court for a winner and, by her own telling, flipped a mental switch. From there she surged, shutting down rallies and closing 6-3.

She later made light of the ending, swaying to the noise with a mini dance: “The dancing was just in the end because I was, like, too tired, and the guys was, like, whistling. I mean what can you do? You just have to dance through it.”

“She lost serve at 6-5, lost the breaker, and still owned the third. That’s growth.”

Turning pressure into fuel at 4-3 in the third

Great matches often hinge on one moment. At 4-3 in the decider, Putintseva produced the forehand she needed — and the mindset to match it. Her description of the cough distraction is telling: she didn’t just brush it off; she used it. That resolve under pressure separated a sturdy win from a shaky exit.

It also fit a broader theme of this year’s tournament, where intense crowds have shaped the feel of many matches. Players like Putintseva — and, on other courts, Alycia Parks — have leaned into the noise, turning heckles into fuel. In a year when lines are loud, calm is a weapon.

A reset year: from 2025 slump to a second-week return

Putintseva’s win lands her in week two at a Slam for the fifth time and first since Wimbledon 2024. It is also a meaningful marker in a comeback arc. After a down 2025 that saw her fall out of the Top 100 for the first time in over a decade, she began 2026 by clawing back to No. 94 following a second-round run in Adelaide. Melbourne now gives her a bigger step forward and the confidence that her best habits — footwork, fight, and sharp patterns — are back in place.

The quotes tell you as much. She knows the old version might have exploded. The new version channels it, points to the scoreboard, and keeps moving. That maturity is as much a reason for this Round of 16 as any tactical tweak.

“The dance at the end was fun, but the real show was the composure under fire.”

What Sonmez’s run means for Turkish tennis

Zeynep Sonmez leaves with a loss but also history. As the first Turkish player to make a Grand Slam third round, the 22-year-old qualifier (entering from the outer courts and earning her spot the hard way) set a new mark for her country on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Her ability to push the match into a third set against a seasoned competitor will give her belief — and give Turkish fans a player to rally behind for the long term.

With her game gaining shape and her confidence up, this Melbourne run should be a springboard. The noise that helped her here may travel, but so will lessons learned about managing momentum and finding free points in tight moments.

What’s next: Iva Jovic awaits in the Round of 16

Putintseva’s reward is a Round of 16 meeting with No. 29 seed Iva Jovic, who upset No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6(3). Jovic brings clean timing, depth, and belief off a big win. Putintseva brings court craft, legs for days, and a renewed calm that held firm in a storm.

The scouting report is simple: Putintseva will look to change heights and speeds, draw Jovic off the spot, and test her legs over long rallies. If the crowd turns rowdy again, the Kazakh has already shown she can absorb it and play through the noise.

Bottom line

In a tournament defined by sound, Putintseva found silence where it mattered most — inside the lines. The scoreline says she won 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3. The story says she grew. With a fifth career second-week showing and her first in Melbourne, the veteran from Kazakhstan is not just back in the mix; she is dangerous again. Next up: Jovic, a new problem to solve. If Putintseva brings this same focus, Melbourne’s loudest week might get even louder — and she will be ready to dance through it.