Bug invades US Open court, creating chaos in hilarious moment

The U.S. 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 eventual Tiafoe win, an unidentified bug made its way onto the court, briefly pausing play as a ball person attempted to capture it. 

They first attempted to swat the bug out of the air before missing and having to give chase to the insect. 

The bug hopped around the court for a few moments as the ball person first tried to stomp it.

He then tried to grab the bug with his hand again, missing for a second time. 

The insect jumped away to another part of the court as the ball person gave chase yet again and seemed to have finally scooped up the bug, but it seemed to slip out of his hands. 

The ESPN broadcasters couldn’t help but chuckle as a second ball person joined in to try and assist as the bug became even more elusive, ducking and dodging two sets of hands before it was finally smushed and captured. 

The ball person was given a rousing round of applause from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd while he couldn’t help but smile as he retook his position on the side of the court. 

It’s unclear what the bug was, but one social media user had some fun with the incident. 

“Lantern fly is the HOTTEST celebrity at the US Open thus far,” one person wrote on X.

Spotted Lanternflies have become a common annoyance in the New York area over the past few years and have been known to wreak havoc on crops like apples, grapes and hardwood trees. 

The pesky bug especially became a nuisance in the Big Apple in the summer of 2022. 

A number of big names were in attendance for the match on Tuesday night, including tennis legend Roger Federer, comedian Kevin Hart, Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell.