Mirra Andreeva did not expect this interaction.
The Russian tennis star had an awkward moment with an individual Monday during the US Open when the person seemed to call for her attention and wave at her.
While Andreevea, 18, sat next to partner Diana Shnaider during their win over Shuko Aoyama and Wang Yafan, a man wearing an US Open hat approached the pair from behind.
He appeared to say something toward the two, with the pair chatting before both turned around.
The man appeared to wave at Andreeva and say something with a smile, before she turned around and he walked away.
Shnaider and Andreeva then looked at one another, seeming to convey a “Can you believe that?” expression, before Shnaider burst out laughing.
Andreeva followed suit before the two started talking to someone off-camera.
It seemed like a rather harmless — albeit awkward — exchange during a tournament that has featured some headline-grabbing fan-player interactions.
A Polish CEO snatched a hat from a child that had been signed by Kamil Majchrzak and received universal scorn before later apologizing.
“I would like to unequivocally apologize to the young boy, his family, all the fans, and the player himself,” Piotr Szczerek wrote in a translated Facebook post. “I take full responsibility for my extremely poor judgement and hurtful actions. It was never my intent to steal away a prized memento from the young fan. … It is a painful but necessary lesson in humility.”
On Monday, a fan reached for the zipper on Jannik Sinner’s bag before security reacted.
He backed away once security realized what had been going on.
The U.S. Open is nearingi ts conclusion with the two women’s singles semifinal set for Thursday night, featuring world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka facing Jessica Pegula in the first match and Naomi Osaka battling Amanda Anisimova in the nightcap.
The men’s semifinals take place Friday, with Carlos Alcaraz facing Novak Djokovic in the opener and Jannik Sinner contesting Felix Auger-Alisassime in the latter match.
Andreeva and Shnaider lost in the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament, while Andreeva, the No. 5 seed, also suffered an upset in the third round to Taylor Townsend last week.