Putintseva booed after losing to Paolini in a dramatic US Open match
Julia Putintseva had to swallow the bitterness of defeat in the third round of the US Open. The Kazakh player lost to Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 4-6, and decided to vent her frustration on a ball girl. The crowd booed her, and a recording of the incident surfaced online.
10:49 AM EDT, September 1, 2024
Putintseva was not the favorite to win against the Italian, but she had shown promise earlier in the tournament. She won her match against Chinese player Xiyu Wang 6-1, 7-6(4), while Paolini advanced to the third round due to Karolina Pliskova's retirement.
The clash was not one-sided so that fans couldn't complain about the spectacle. The match had highs and lows, primarily due to Putintseva's inappropriate behavior towards the ball girl.
After a few minutes of weak play, the tennis player moved to the side of the court to receive deliveries but ignored them. The balls just bounced off her body. The audience expressed their frustration by booing and hissing at the Kazakh player. The recording of this moment quickly spread online.
Julia Putintseva booed for her behavior towards the ball girl
Putintseva is currently ranked 32nd in the WTA rankings. In her career, she has faced Iga Świątek five times and acknowledged her superiority four times. She played against Paolini for the first time and will not have fond memories of this encounter.
The first set didn't go her way. She lost her serve right from the start and repeated it twice in the sixth and eighth games. She ultimately lost the first set 3-6. She started the second set better but not enough to dominate Paolini. She lost 4-6, and the match lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes.
