By CNN
—
The BNP Paribas Open – commonly referred to as Indian Wells – was all abuzz on Thursday after a swarm of bees caused a lengthy delay to a quarterfinal matchup between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
The scores were level at 1-1 in the first set when Alcaraz started swatting at the air. At first, it wasn’t quite clear what was happening, but then chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani was forced to pause proceedings as more bees arrived on the court in California.
World No. 2 Alcaraz was seen making a beeline for the locker room before the umpire told the crowd that there was a “bee invasion.” Video appeared to show Lahyani being stung on the head shortly after his announcement.
After attempts to restart the match were temporarily squandered by the presence of yet more bees, play eventually got underway after a one hour and 48 minute delay, with Alcaraz eventually winning 6-3 6-1.
“For sure, it is the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” the Spanaird told reporters. “I’ve never experienced something like that. I’ve never seen something like that.
“I think I will remember that match because of that. I think everybody will remember this situation, and we found it a funny thing, that’s for sure.”
But while Alcaraz won the match, it was beekeeper Lance Davis who truly saved the day.
After players retreated to the locker room, Davis rushed to the court to corral the flying insects which had begun swarming on one of the overhead cameras on court.
Organizers were able to maneuver the camera towards the stands where the bees were met by Davis and his vacuum.
Rockstar beekeeper
The beekeeper transferred the insects into a cage to be transported away from the stadium and into one of his personal hives, according to ATPTour.com.
“This time of year is swarming season, so they go everywhere,” Davis told ATPTour.com. “And I’m just happy to be there for them, so they could not have any incidents.”
Donning a fetching pair of all-black ski sunglasses, the president of ‘Killer Bee Live Removal’ became an instant hit on social media as he high-fived spectators and posed for selfies during his mission to save the match.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” Alcaraz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, responding to a video of Davis in action.
Davis, who told ATPTour.com that he doesn’t have social media on his phone, also went viral for his fearless approach to the problem.
US actor Ben Stiller was one of many impressed with his work, writing on X: “Bee Invasion Guy is very cool. Fearless.”
After his somewhat unusual win, Alcaraz will now face Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the tournament.
If nothing else, he’ll hope he can just get on with his tennis without being mobbed by another invasion of bees.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bit afraid of the bees,” the two-time grand slam winner admitted after his win.
