Carlos Alcaraz did not give Alexander Zverev the slightest chance in the quarter-final of the Masters 1000 at Indian Wells in the United States thanks to two completely controlled sets (6-3, 6-1). But the match was not entirely peaceful because of an invasion of bees causing a two-hour interruption!
While the scoreboard showed a game everywhere, Alcaraz began to wave his racket around his face, bothered by a sudden and massive arrival of bees on the court.
The referee then observed the situation from the top of his chair, before also quickly becoming the target of insects: “we are invaded by bees, the game cannot continue, a break is necessary from now on”, he hastened to communicate to the public.
The Spaniard then reached him before running, frightened, off the court. And for good reason: during this mishap, the world number 2 was stung in the forehead.
Quickly, hundreds of bees gathered on the “spidercam”, this camera which circulates above the court thanks to a system of cables. For an hour and 45 minutes, a bee expert, aided by a curious gun, was activated to allow the match to resume in the best conditions.
Once the players returned to the Stadium 1 court, Carlos Alcaraz displayed his full range. An exceptional service (79% first serves), 4 break points won out of 5, 17 winning shots for only 6 unforced errors. An impressive match where he only had 8 second serves to perform and which now leaves us dreaming of the semi-final against the Italian Jannik Sinner, still undefeated in 2024 (16 victories in a row).