The US Open became a no-fly zone on Tuesday night during the Grigor Dimitrov-Frances Tiafoe match, won by the American.
During the second set of the final Tiafoe win, an unidentified bug took to the tracka brief pause in play when a ball person tried to catch it.
They first tried to knock the bug out of the air before they missed and had to chase the bug.
The bug jumped around the court for a few moments when the ball person first tried to stomp it.
He then tried to grab the bug with his hand again, missing a second time.
The bug hopped off to another part of the court as the ball person chased again and seemed to have finally scooped up the bug, but it seemed to slip out of his hands.
ESPN’s broadcasters couldn’t help but gasp as a second ball person joined in to try and help as the error became even more elusive, ducking and dodging two sets of hands before finally being squeezed and caught.
The ball person received a rousing ovation from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as he couldn’t help but smile as he resumed his position at the side of the court.
It’s unclear what the error was, but one social media user had some fun with the incident.
“The lanternfly is the HOTTEST celebrity at the US Open so far,” a person signed X.
Spotted lanternflies have become a common annoyance in the New York area in recent years and have been known to wreak havoc on crops such as apples, grapes and hardwoods.
The annoying bug became a particular nuisance in the Big Apple in the summer of 2022.
A number of big names were in attendance for Tuesday night’s game, including tennis legend Roger Federer, comedian Kevin Hart, Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell.