Naomi Osaka saved a butterfly that landed on her nose and refused to leave her during a match. Osaka is a hero to tennis fans across the globe. And, now, to butterflies as well.
Naomi Osaka saved a butterfly that landed on her nose and refused to leave her during a match. 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 match on Friday 19, the 23-year-old’s service was stopped by a butterfly 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, Osaka reached down and collected the butterfly onto her left hand.
The crowd laughed as she tried to catch the butterfly; eventually she did and carried it towards the outer edge of the court. However, when Osaka tried to lay it safely on a towel, the butterfly flew up into the air and landed right on her nose. She once again gently captured it and took it to safety on the side-lines. The three-time Grand Slam champion happily ran back to the baseline while the crowd applauded her.
Osaka went on to win the match against world No. 27 Ons Jabeur in a swift 6-3, 6-2 victory. Her next match is against 14th-ranked Spanish international Garbiñe Muguruza in the fourth round.
