Yulia Putintseva has come under fire from tennis fans for her controversial conduct with a ball girl during her third-round clash at the 2024 US Open. The Kazakh was battling it out against Jasmine Paolini for a place in the fourth round of the New York Major.
Continuing her exemplary form at Grand Slam events this season, Paolini delivered a stellar performance to claim a 6-3, 6-4 win over the Kazakh. The World No. 5 outplayed Putintseva by striking 22 winners and converting four of her six break point opportunities.
As she struggled to challenge Jasmine Paolini, Yulia Putintseva's frustration seemed to boil over during her interaction with a ball girl. Despite signaling for the balls, the Kazakh refused to catch them when the ball girl tossed them to her, instead choosing to pick them up off the ground. The 29-year-old was loudly booed by the crowd for her bizarre behavior.
The ball girl appeared puzzled by Putintseva's conduct, as she was seen shaking her head with a wry smile.
Given that Yulia Putintseva has frequently faced backlash for her on-court behavior, fans expressed their lack of surprise at the 29-year-old's "unforgivable" conduct.
"Not shocking and not the first time she's been b*tchy with ball kids when losing. She's just a nasty person," one fan commented.
"Sorry but this is unforgivable," another fan chimed in.
"WTF😭😭😭 beefing with a ball girl is crazy😭😭," a fan remarked.
"It’s nothing new. And unfortunately, she has done worse. I am just waiting for her to retire," said another.
Some fans even suggested that the ball girl should have retaliated against the Kazakh.
"Ball girl should've taken the tennis ball and threw it right in her face," one fan posted.
"Now if she threw the balls at her head she’d be wrong???" another fan wrote.
"Ball kids should just be allowed to properly throw at them if players act like this," a fan remarked.
Others, meanwhile, argued that there should be severe repercussions for Yulia Putintseva's "disrespectful" behavior, advocating for a hefty fine.
"Glad the ballkid is taking it like a champ. But I hope she reported Yulia for being disrespectful. This is no way how u treat others," a fan shared .
"There should be serious fines for behaviour like this," one fan contended.
"Agree some sort of repercussion is deserved - they are essentially volunteers and (mostly) children. I like watching her tennis but can’t get behind this crap. Whack yourself with the racquet or smash it into pieces and I don’t care - don’t take it out on a f**king ballkid wtf," another fan argued.
Jasmine Paolini takes satisfaction in her 'calm' performance against 'unbelievable' Yulia Putintseva in US Open 3R win
Speaking to the press after her commanding win, Jasmine Paolini expressed satisfaction with her "calm" performance against Yulia Putintseva, whom she described as an "unbelievable player."
"Today I think I was pretty solid with being calm. I just tried to play my game. She's (Yulia Putintseva) an unbelievable player, she defends very well," Paolini said.
Paolini will aim to maintain her composure as she heads into her fourth-round clash against Karolina Muchova at the US Open. The Czech claimed a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova to book her place against the World No. 5.
If Jasmine Paolini triumphs over Muchova, she will face Caroline Wozniacki, or the winner of the match between Anna Kalinskaya and Beatriz Haddad Maia, in her maiden US Open quarterfinal.