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Bee invasion at Zverev match
Incredible scenes at the ATP Masters in Indian Wells: An insect invasion disrupts the duel between Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. But that doesn’t change the German’s defeat.
First a swarm of bees on the tennis court caused a long interruption, then there was nothing left for Alexander Zverev on the unusual evening.
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At the ATP Masters in Indian Wells, the Olympic tennis champion from Hamburg was defeated by the Spanish defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals 3:6, 1:6. After a good 90 minutes of pure playing time it was over.
The break lasted almost two hours after the bees arrived. When the score was 1:1, nine minutes had been played, the swarm moved across Center Court and initially made it impossible to continue the duel.
Bees sting Alcaraz’s forehead
The insects attached themselves to the TV cameras and also attacked Alcaraz. The prominent visitors in the lower box seats also sought protection. Multi-billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates used a blanket to keep troublemakers at bay.
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“I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said, “I’m a little afraid of bees. “It was definitely the most unusual match I’ve ever played in my career,” said the 20-year-old.
And added: “I thought there would only be a few, not too many. But I looked up at the sky and there were thousands upon thousands, stuck in my hair and flying towards me. It was crazy.”
“I have never seen anything like this in my 39 years of tennis. Unbelievable,” wrote tennis icon Boris Becker on the X platform about the incident. Ultimately, the organizers resorted to using a vacuum cleaner to drive the troublemakers away from the TV cameras.
Numerous bees caused a disruption in Indian Wells
Alcaraz, who was stabbed in the forehead, will now face Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner from Italy in the hard court tournament worth almost twelve million dollars.
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Zverev won the previous meeting with Wimbledon winner Alcaraz in the quarter-finals in Melbourne after an impressive performance.
Now the 26-year-old had no chance. In the overall balance, Zverev continues to lead, it is 5:4.
With Sports Information Service (SID)