At Indian Wells, the quarter-final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev took an unexpected turn when a bee swarm interrupted the game, leading to a pause and an unusual scenario for the players involved.
Carlos Alcaraz experienced a direct encounter with the bees, being stung on his forehead as the swarm invaded the court, prompting umpire Mohamed Lahyani to halt the third game. The disruption lasted an hour and 40 minutes before play could resume, ultimately seeing Alcaraz, the defending champion, secure a victory over Zverev with scores of 6-3, 6-1.
Reflecting on the incident, Alcaraz remarked, “This was definitely the most unusual match of my career. Initially, I noticed a few bees but didn’t realize the extent until I saw thousands in the air, with some getting caught in my hair and coming at me. It was an insane situation; despite trying to avoid them, it proved futile. Bees do scare me a bit, so I was just trying to keep safe, running around to escape.”
The bees seemed to be drawn to the spidercam, a TV camera operated on cables above the court. With the players and spectators cleared from the area, a beekeeper was brought in to remove the bees using a vacuum, transferring them into a cage for later release, which seemed to alleviate the situation temporarily.
Indian Wells Bees on Spidercam
Despite these efforts, Alcaraz still faced bee disturbances upon resuming the match, leading to the beekeeper’s return. His second appearance was met with cheers as he sprayed the scoreboard and then mingled with the crowd, receiving high-fives and taking selfies.
Tournament organizers explained, “This time of year, the area can attract bees due to the blooming flowers. They’re also drawn to low-frequency sounds, including music bass, because they can feel the vibrations.”
Indian Wells Flower Display
Looking ahead, Alcaraz is set to face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, an opponent on a 19-match winning streak, winner of the 2024 Australian Open, and hailed as the current top player though ranked world no.3. Alcaraz shared his anticipation, stating, “Approaching a match against Sinner, who’s undoubtedly the world’s best player right now, is challenging. It’s bound to be the toughest match I’ll face this year.”
Sinner continued his impressive performance by defeating Jiri Lehecka with a 6-3, 6-3 victory, maintaining his unbeaten streak since last year’s ATP Tour Finals loss to Novak Djokovic.
In other matches, American Tommy Paul overcame Norwegian Casper Ruud with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 win, marking his first semi-final appearance in the tournament. He will compete against Daniil Medvedev, who secured his spot by defeating Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4.
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