Moment tennis star saves bug from being squished on court… just for ball boy to kill it seconds later
The former world No3 was taking on second seed Emma Navarro in Washington DC.
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Maria Sakkari carefully picked up a bug on court
Credit: Reddit
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The Greek carefully removed it from the playing area
Credit: Reddit
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A ball kid brutally stomped on the bug
Credit: Reddit
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Sakkari couldn't help but laugh
Credit: Reddit
During the match, Sakkari paused when she noticed a bug chilling on the court.
The 30-year-old stooped to pick it up before carefully taking it seemingly out of harm's way.
Fans clapped Sakkari's kind act, with the commentator saying: "Good work there from Sakkari, taking care of the local wildlife."
The initially heartwarming scene then took a brutal turn, when a ball boy killed the bug by stomping on it.
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Members of the crowd gasped and laughed in equal measure at the bizarre incident.
While even Sakkari couldn't help but giggle as she prepared to return serve.
The commentator added: "Oh! Dear me. The ball kid didn't get the memo."
Unaffected by the incident, Sakkari went on to beat Navarro 7-5 7-6 in one of her best wins of the year.
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Sakkari went on to beat Emma Navarro in straight sets
Credit: Alamy
The Greek will be back in action later today when she takes on Britain's
Raducanu possesses a 3-0 record over Sakkari, having beaten her in the semi-finals on the way to winning the US Open in 2021.
Venus Williams confirms engagement to actor partner as she rolls back years to win first match in two years
The pair also met at Wimbledon last year, with the Brit favourite triumphing 6-2 6-3.
Raducanu booked her spot in the last eight with a brilliant 6-4 6-2 win over four-time Grand Slam champion
After the match, the 22-year-old said: "I'm really pleased with that match.
"I thought that it was pretty mature, and I was holding onto my own service games really well. I knew going into the match that Naomi has been playing good, loves the hard court.
"So I was going to have to play well and manage my own service games, because she's very dangerous, hits a big ball, and serves extremely well. Very pleased with how I managed all the situations there.
"Naomi is pure speed, which is very difficult to deal with, especially on these courts, where it's very lively. It was extremely important to start the point well on my serve."
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Emma Raducanu defeated Naomi Osaka to book a place in the quarter-finals
Credit: Alamy
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