Indian Wells, Calif. — A quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev was interrupted for nearly two hours due to a swarm of bees on Thursday.
Alcaraz tried to shoo away the bees flying around him before seeking shelter. The match was halted after 19 minutes with Alcaraz serving at 1-1. Despite the delay lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes, Alcaraz managed to secure a victory with a score of 6-3, 6-1, in just one hour and 29 minutes of actual playing time.
Many bees landed on the overhead spider camera that moves across the court, and a man bravely used a vacuum to remove them without any protective gear.
During the delay, the players exited the court. Upon their return, the chair umpire warned them about remaining bees, prompting Zverev to humorously suggest that he was willing to play on his side of the court.
The man with the bee vacuum returned to the court equipped with a spray bottle and received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. He even took selfies with fans, leading to laughter from Alcaraz and Zverev as they observed him moving around the stands spraying for bees. Additionally, he sprayed the walls surrounding the court.
During a recent tennis match, a bee also made an appearance on a player's towel. Alcaraz, one of the players, expressed worries that the bees might swarm again on his side. However, an ATP Tour supervisor encouraged him to continue with the warmup.
Notably, the tournament's owner, billionaire Larry Ellison, and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates were observed watching the match from Ellison's box.
