MELBOURNE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Anyone ‌strolling past Melbourne Park's outer courts might have felt like they were wandering through Istanbul ‌on Wednesday as the roars behind Turkish trailblazer Zeynep Sonmez reached deafening levels at ‌the Australian Open.

A popular draw among Turkish fans and now a crowd favourite in Melbourne after assisting an ill ball girl during her opener, Sonmez fed off the energy on court seven to beat Hungarian Anna Bondar 6-2 6-4 and progress.