A butterfly felt the Osaka effect at the Australian Open on Friday.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka had a magical moment with an orange-and-black butterfly before she stung her opponent like a bee in the second set of her victory over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.
The Australian Open Twitter account tweeted a video clip of the encounter between Osaka and the butterfly.
"Even the butterflies in Australia love @naomiosaka," the organization wrote in the caption, adding a blue butterfly and a face with tears of joy emoji.
Osaka, 23, was about to serve in the second set when a fan alerted her to the fact that there was a butterfly on her lower left leg.
She then carefully scooped the butterfly with her index finger and walked it to safety on the side of the court, not wanting to take any chances in case it flew near one of her 125-mile-an-hour serves.
The butterfly was having such a good time hanging out with the third-ranked player in the world that it flew up and landed on Osaka's face for a moment, prompting the crowd to chuckle.
Osaka enjoyed the moment, too, sharing photos of it on Instagram and writing, "R3 ✔️ (swipe to the end for a laugh 😩😂)."
Her fans saw it as a positive omen for her tournament title hopes.
"That's good luck!" one Instagram commenter wrote.
"The butterfly whisperer 🦋✨ lol, good win today!!" another wrote.
The butterfly eventually took flight, while Osaka dispatched of Jabeur to advance to the fourth round of the tournament.
She is shooting for her second Australian Open title in three years, with the Australian butterfly community firmly behind her.