Mirra Andreeva has had her share of tough moments on the court, but Monday's came from a fan interaction that left her and her partner laughing in disbelief.
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During a U.S. Open doubles match, Andreeva, 18, and partner Diana Shnaider were sitting courtside after a win over Shuko Aoyama and Wang Yafan when a man in a U.S. Open hat walked up from behind them. He appeared to wave and say something in their direction.
The two turned, looked at each other with wide eyes, and shared what could only be described as a "Did that really just happen?" glance before Shnaider broke into laughter. Andreeva quickly followed, and both then spoke with someone off-camera. It seemed harmless but awkward, the latest in a string of fan-player run-ins at this year's tournament.
Earlier in the event, a Polish CEO drew heavy criticism after being caught on video taking a signed hat from a young boy that had been autographed by Kamil Majchrzak. He later apologized on Facebook, calling it "extremely poor judgement" and a "painful but necessary lesson in humility."
There was also the bizarre moment when a fan reached for Jannik Sinner's bag during a match before security quickly intervened.
The U.S. Open heads into its final weekend with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka facing Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka taking on Amanda Anisimova in Thursday's women's semifinals. The men's semis follow Friday with Carlos Alcaraz against Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner meeting Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Andreeva's tournament is finished after a doubles quarterfinal exit with Shnaider and a singles upset loss in the third round to Taylor Townsend. Still, her sideline exchange may have been one of the lighter viral moments of the week.
