Indian Wells | Alcaraz survives bee swarm to buzz Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz survives bee swarm to reach Indian Wells semifinals; Sinner, Paul, Medvedev also advance in thrilling matches.

Carlos Alcaraz survived a swarm of bees that caused a nearly two-hour delay and went on to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, March 14, 2024 night.

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.

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 bee vacuumer was summoned to the court with a spray bottle that he used to douse seats and the walls around the court.

The match resumed after a delay of one hour, 48 minutes. The actual playing time was 1:29.

Jannik Sinner defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-3 to extend his winning streak to 16 consecutive matches this year. He will play Alcaraz in the semis on Saturday.

Sinner’s run includes the Australian Open title he won in January. The Italian is 19-0 overall dating to last year’s Davis Cup. He’s won 21 of his last 22 sets.

“You earn these things by working hard and believing,” Sinner said in a Tennis Channel interview. “I’m just glad to be in this equation. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16-0 or whatever.”