Naomi Osaka saved a butterfly that landed on her nose and refused to leave her during a match at the Australian Open
- A butterfly landed on Naomi Osaka during her Australian Open third-round match on Friday.
- The 23-year-old star paused her game to usher the little critter to safety.
- Instead of flying away, the butterfly landed on her nose in an adorable, surreal scene.
Naomi Osaka is a hero to tennis fans across the globe.
And, now, to butterflies as well.
During the second set of her Australian Open third-round contest on Friday, the 23-year-old's service routine was adorably interrupted by a buttefly that fluttered around her before landing on her left leg. A fan brought the visitor to her attention by yelling "Naomi, there's a butterfly on your leg!" and instead of swatting the little critter away or ignoring it altogether, Osaka reached down and collected the buttefly onto her left hand.
The crowd laughed as she tried to rein in the butterfly, and eventually she secured the bug in her hand to carry it towards the outer edge of the court. But when Osaka tried to lay it safely on an Australian Open branded towel, the match intruder instead flew up into the air and landed right on her nose. She once again gently captured the butterfly and ushered it to safety on the sidelines.
The three-time Grand Slam champion happily jogged back to the baseline with a chorus of applause from the crowd. And the ESPN2 broadcasters were positively elated to give a lighthearted play-by-play as it all unfolded.
Osaka went on to win the match against world No. 27 Ons Jabeur in a swift 6-3, 6-2 victory. She'll move on to face 14th-ranked Spanish international Garbiñe Muguruza in the fourth round.
Check out the full video of Osaka's run-in with the butterfly below: