She eventually did catch one, prompting jeers from the Flushing Meadow crowd and condemnation on social media, with Boris Becker posting on X: “Who does Putintseva think she is … terrible behaviour towards the ball girl !!!”
Three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs also wrote: “The disrespect and obnoxious behaviour here is unbelievable and typical from her.”
Putintseva posted on social media after her defeat to say sorry, writing: “I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was, when she was giving me balls.
“Honestly speaking it was not about her. I was really p—– off at myself for not winning the game from the breakpoint and then got empty with my emotions and deep in my thoughts, that I was not even focusing on what’s going on and who gives me the ball.
“All the ball kids was [sic] doing amazing as always at the Open.”
Footage of the incident showed the ball girl returning to her station with a wry smile and shaking her head about what had just occurred.
Putintseva, who reached the quarter-finals in 2020, won just two more games as fifth seed Paolini cruised through to the fourth round courtesy of a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
