Watch: Andrey Rublev left looking stunned after nearly taking out pigeon at RG

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Andrey Rublev was left looking stunned after nearly taking out a pigeon during his French Open second-round match against Corentin Moutet. As Rublev was preparing to finish off the point from the middle of the court, he ripped a forehand and nearly hit the pigeon that flew by just a few meters in front of him.

The pigeon landed on the net as Rublev stood and looked in disbelief. Fortunately, Rublev didn't hit the pigeon but the point was replayed after the chair umpire called a let.

We might have found Andrey Rublev's new least-favourite animal: the pigeon.

🐦pic.twitter.com/w6zCt9lXdH — Relevant Tennis (@RelevantTennis) May 31, 2023

Rublev got the job done against Moutet

After a funny scene, Rublev completed a 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 win over Moutet.

Rublev made a great start to the match, breaking Moutet in the very first game of the match. Up by an early break, Rublev routinely held on to his serve for the remainder of the first set to seal the opener. After losing the first set, Moutet served out the opening game of the second set.

Then, Rublev claimed back-to-back breaks and won the next five games to take a comfortable 5-1 lead in the second set. Moutet ended Rublev's run in the seventh game but it didn't change much as the Russian routinely served out for a two-set lead in the eighth game.

Up by two sets, Rublev also had two break points in the first game of the third set but didn't convert. After saving two early break points, Moutet earned his first break of the match in the fourth game of the third set. Moutet made the most of that break as the Frenchman held on to his serve for the remainder of the third set to force a fourth set.

After winning the third set, Moutet also started the fourth set with a break in the first game of the set. However, Rublev didn't panic as he earned breaks in the second and eighth games to overturn the deficit and complete a four-set win. Rublev now owns a 2-0 head-to-head against Moutet. Previously, Rublev defeated Moutet in 2020 Doha.