NEW YORK, Sept 2 — Kazakhstani tennis player Yulia Putintseva has apologised for her rudeness to a ball girl at the US Open.

The controversial incident saw the Louis Armstrong Stadium erupt in boos after her bizarre interaction with the ball girl left many baffled.

The 30th seed had grown increasingly frustrated as a third-round showdown with Jasmine Paolini of Italy slipped away from her.

The player had motioned for the ball girl to throw her the tennis balls, but let the first two bounce off her before catching the third and picking the other two up which left the ball girl stunned as the crowd took it out on Putintseva.

Continuing to ignore the ball girl, she then returned to the baseline as the ball girl returning to her station with a wry smile while shaking her head.

Putintseva would go on to lose, 6-3, 6-4 to the Italian and will play against Karolina Muchova in the round of 16 today.

She took to Instagram to post her apology hours later, which is no longer visible.

"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 pissed at my self by 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 whats going on and who gives me the ball... All the ball kids was doing amazing as always at the open”

Broadcaster Piers Morgan was one of the many who fumed at Putintseva's behaviour.

"Disgusting arrogance by @PutintsevaYulia - the ball girl should have thrown the 3rd one in her taunting face," he tweeted.