A much-anticipated matchup between two young stars in tennis was suspended on Thursday night after bees invaded the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Southern California.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were early in their match when an absurd number of bees swarmed the court.
The two were in just the third game of the match, knotted at one, when bees were just around everyone on the court floor, prompting Alcaraz to take cover.
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An invasion of bees suspends play between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Alexander Zverev of Germany during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 14, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Bees even made a home on the overhead camera, which took a trip outside the venue to get the bees out.
A beekeeper was seen vacuuming the bees off the camera.
The delay lasted an hour and 48 minutes.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain tries to brush off a swarm of bees that invaded the court while playing against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their quarterfinal match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 14, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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The Tennis Channel even joked, “Advantage, bees.”
The event had previously been headlined by Novak Djokovic’s upset loss to the 123rd-ranked player in the world, Luca Nardi.
Djokovic, the top-ranked player, was criticized, though, for a conversation with Nardi which seemed stern. There was earlier confusion on a point in which Nardi lazily returned a serve that wound up in him earning a point – Djokovic was calling for a hindrance.
He then apparently told Nardi that he pulled a bush league move.
Zverev and Alcaraz, a two-time grand slam winner, were playing in a quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open, where the final will be played on Sunday.
A swarm of bees covers the scoreboard after suddenly invading the court while Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Alexander Zverev of Germany were playing in their Quarterfinal match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 14, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Zverev, the sixth-ranked player in the world, won the first set, 6-2. The winner will face Jannik Sinner in the semifinal.
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