This year’s U.S. Open has been plagued by awkward interactions involving fans and tennis stars, with the list seemingly growing by the day.
On Monday, it was Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva’s turn to be disrupted by an unidentified fan during her round of 16 doubles match.
The 18-year-old Andreeva was sitting next to partner Diana Shnaider, 21, on the bench, drinking some water during a break in the match against Shuko Aoyama and Wang Yafan, when they were approached from behind by a man wearing a dark shirt and U.S. Open hat.
He appeared to say something toward the two while the partners were talking amongst themselves before they noticed him and turned around.
The man then appeared to say something with a smile towards Andreeva before walking away from the bench.
The women gave each other confused looks before Shnaider burst out laughing and Andreeva followed suit. Andreeva then gave another “I don’t know” gesture before the chair umpire appeared to ask what had happened.
Andreeva appeared to say that the man “just wanted to say hi,” while the pair laughed at the awkward incident.
The interaction didn’t seem to affect the Russian pair, who went on to win the match 7-5, 6-2.
Controversial fans have been making headlines on the courts at the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Karolina Muchova got emotional during her match against Sorana Cîrstea last week after spotting an ex-boyfriend in the crowd.
The world’s No. 13 player was serving during the first set when she froze, gestured towards the crowd, and then wiped her face with a towel. She apologized for the delay to the umpire before resuming the match and playing through tears.
She explained the outpouring of emotions during the post-match press conference, saying that her ex “sometimes shows up at places where he shouldn’t be.”
On Monday, a fan attempted to open Jannik Sinner’s bag when the 24-year-old went over to the stands to give away a towel and pose for a photograph. A member of the security staff quickly stopped the fan, and Sinner walked away from the crowd.
Perhaps in the wildest story, a Polish CEO was caught on camera stealing a signed hat from a child.
Piotr Szczerek, the chief executive of paving stone company Drogbruk, issued an apology on social media on Monday, saying that his actions were a “serious mistake.”
Szczerek said he believed Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak was signing the hat for him to give to his sons. Majchrzak instead handed the hat to a young boy and then Szczerek snatched it out of his hands and quickly put it into a bag that his wife was holding.