INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — A swarm of bees forced a nearly two-hour disruption to the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday.
Alcaraz swatted at the bees buzzing around him before running for cover and the match was suspended 19 minutes in with Alcaraz serving tied at 1-1. The Spaniard went on to win 6-3, 6-1 in less time than the delay of 1 hour, 48 minutes.
Dozens of bees attached themselves to the overhead spider camera that traverses the court and a man without any protective covering used a vacuum to clean them off.
The players left the court during the delay. When they returned, the chair umpire told them there were still some bees around and Zverev joked that he was fine to play on his side of the court.
The bee vacuumer was summoned back to the court with a spray bottle and was cheered wildly by the crowd. He posed for selfies with fans, causing Alcaraz and Zverev to laugh as they watched him wander the seats spraying for bees. The man also doused the walls around the court.
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
Xi visits people in Tianjin ahead of Spring Festival
Xi stresses winning tough, protracted battle against corruption
Profile: Xi revives culture, spearheads innovation for modern civilization
Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf is spotted on the streets of Gavin and Stacey's hometown Barry
Kevin Durant scores 28 points, Jusuf Nurkic makes late free throw as Suns beat Kings 108
Food quality, safety underscored in China's new draft law
Xi extends New Year wishes to all
Female lawmakers, political advisors shine at China's ongoing two sessions