A bee invasion forced the BNP Paribas Open to suspend a quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells Thursday.
No, we’re not pollen you’re leg.
Alcaraz, the defending champion, was preparing to serve midway through the third game of the match when a large cloud of insects descended upon Stadium 1 to surround him.
Genuine confusion flashed across Alcaraz’s face as he attempted to swat the bees away with his tennis racket. Zverev, meanwhile, barely moved a muscle while he watched the spectacle from the opposite baseline. Alcaraz eventually walked toward umpire Mohamed Lahyani, who announced the match was suspended.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t appear that anyone was harmed. Alcaraz was later seen laughing at his phone at one of the warm up courts, probably watching videos of the strange scene.
As Zverev and Alcaraz found refuge in the locker room, the mass of bees seemed to grow. The broadcast’s spider camera served as the epicenter of the swarm and the bees began to obscure the lens.
A video that was posted by a fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, captured the bees’ attraction to the camera:
Almost an hour after the match was paused, someone was seen gently prodding the bees away from the anchor of the camera using a tube-like object. He didn’t wear a bee suit, mask or gloves — just sunglasses as he took matters into his own hands and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
A similar incident occurred in Major League basketball years ago. Bees interrupted a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. But the swarm only derailed action for 13 minutes during the third inning of the Angels’ 4-0 win.
According to Tommy Paul, bees are normal in tennis. Appearing on the tennis channel during the delay, the 25-year-old American tennis star said he was once attacked and stung in the neck during a match that also took place in California.
“I lost, by the way,” he joked.
It’s unclear when the match between Alcaraz and sixth-seed Zverev will resume. The winner will compete against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semi-finals.
Source Agencies
