Beyoncé?! No, that is Laverne Cox. 

All eyes were on Serena Williams as the legendary tennis player played her first singles match in her last US Open tournament. But some necks turned and heads were scratched when it came to one spectator in the crowd who social media users thought was Beyoncé. In fact, it was another icon: Cox. 

The “Orange is the New Black” star was in the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, wearing honey blonde hair, hoop earrings and a mask. With Cox’s face mostly covered by the PPE, users on Twitter got excited thinking that Beyoncé was in the crowd to support Williams. 

One user posted a two-second clip of Cox in the audience cheering, tweeting “#Beyoncé at the #USOpen.” After they were corrected by many others who identified that it was Cox, the user circled back tweeting “My bad.. I wasn’t trying to be funny I promise.” 

#Beyoncé at the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/rcaY8kdgR5

— Choni -Chonstradums🔮-Jamal🤘🏾💫🧟‍♂️ (@Choni_) August 29, 2022

“I got to (sic) excited to see #Beyoncé and (thought) it was her my bad.. it’s @Lavernecox,”  the user said. 

However other people, including Cox herself, thought the mix up was hilarious. 

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A post shared by Laverne Cox (@lavernecox)

“Not me getting mistaken for @Beyonce at the #USOpen tonight then trending on Twitter as the internet cackles over the mistaken identity,” Cox posted on Instagram Monday. “These tweets are funny as hell.” 

Williams won her match against Danka Kovinic, but according to some tweets, Cox also won. 

“2nd biggest winner tonight: Laverne Cox who was mistaken for Beyonce all night. Which is a career highlight for literally anyone,” writer David Dennis Jr. wrote. 

Another user wrote: “I know you’ve received a lot of accolades, but surely being mistaken for Beyoncé is up there!!”

However, Beyoncé did make an appearance during the broadcast of Williams’ match. The singer, who dropped her “Renaissance” album last month, voiced a Gatorade advertisement celebrating the tennis player Monday.

It’s not unlikely to see the singer cheer Williams on during this year’s US Open. Beyoncé has conjured social media laughs in the past after attending Williams’ Wimbledon final in 2016, which evolved into a sports meme as she gave an animated cheer while watching the game. 

Stars and sports icons came out in droves to watch Williams play Monday after the athlete announced she’d be stepping away from the game after the US Open tournament to focus on other aspects of her life. Other verified famous faces in the crowd included Spike Lee, Queen Latifah and Hugh Jackman.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King gave a speech, wearing Williams’ favorite color pink, honoring the 40-year-old tennis player and Gayle King conducted the post-game interview with Williams, sharing a personal tribute video narrated by Oprah Winfrey. 

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