Bee invasion: Bees cease Alcaraz-Zverev match at Indian Wells

A “bee invasion Indian Wells” rocked Stadium Courtroom at Indian Wells on Thursday, sending defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev diving for canopy and making a hero of native bee professional Lance Davis.

World quantity two Alcaraz was stung on the brow and compelled into retreat by the bugs, swatting them away in alarm along with his racquet and arms earlier than searching for shelter.

He and Zverev have been simply two video games into their quarter-final match when play was halted, with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani saying: “Women and gents, play is suspended resulting from bee invasion.”

Alcaraz’s agent, Albert Molina, advised Spanish radio station Cadena Cope through the delay that Alcaraz was stung on the brow “however he’s tremendous.”

It could be virtually two hours earlier than play resumed, with Davis, an area professional who makes a speciality of reside bee removing, rising as a star through the break.

Spectators watched in fascination as he used a particular vacuum to take away the plenty of bees that had swarmed the remote-controlled aerial “spider cam” — funnelling them right into a humane live-catch cage.

With that executed, officers indicated gamers would quickly return to court docket, however loads of stray bees remained and followers applauded as Davis used a twig to focus on some the on-court scoreboards, courtside chairs and participant tools earlier than making his approach by means of some sections of the stands — the place spectators provided high-fives and took selfies with him.

Event spokesman Matt Van Tuinen mentioned Davis, who operates Killer Bee Reside Removing, has labored with the match for about seven years on a year-round foundation and had already been out to assist with “different beekeeping wants across the grounds.”

Alcaraz, who mentioned he’d by no means seen something prefer it on a tennis court docket, clearly felt no lingering results from his brush with the bees. When play resumed he polished off the victory 6-3, 6-1.

It wasn’t the primary time a marquee tennis match has been disrupted by bees.

On the WTA 1000 occasion in Guadalajara in 2022 a gap day match between Petra Kvitova and Bernarda Para was delayed as a beekeeper handled a swarm of bees that had attatched itself to the umpire’s chair.

bb/rcw