Scary pictures in Indian Wells. During the confrontation between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, a swarm of bees decided to disrupt the tennis tournament. Several hundred insects seem to mainly target the Spaniard. The match had to be stopped. Fortunately, one of the striking exterminators turned out to be the hero of the day.
Carlos Alcaraz looked around in disbelief.
When the Spaniard wanted to serve in the third game of the quarter-finals, suddenly many bees began to circle around his head. “I thought there were only a few, but when I looked up at the sky it was completely full. It was crazy.”
The tennis star tried to ward off the creatures, but it had the opposite effect. Several hundred bees turned on Alcaraz and attacked the Spaniard. Frightened, he fled into the catacombs.
His intermediary told Spanish media that Alcaraz had been stabbed in the forehead. The referee had no choice but to stop the match due to the invasion.
The pictures showed that the bees, which settled en masse on the spider camera after the attack, were in huge numbers.
Hundreds of bees settled on the spider's camera.
Professional exterminator as hero
An insect extermination specialist had to be called in urgently to remove the troublemakers.
The man (no bee suit, but wearing sunglasses) had to absorb the bees with heavy artillery, so that Alcaraz and Zverev could resume the match after almost two hours of waiting. Tennis fans dubbed him “Champ of the Day” on social media.
Lance Davis – that's the name of the CEO of “Killer Bee Live Removal” – received a loud applause from the fans and players in attendance during his necessary intervention.
The famous exterminator also had to distribute autographs and selfies en masse in the stands.
Alcaraz seemed to have recovered quickly from the initial shock. During the break, the Spaniard could be seen laughing heartily again, while looking at photos of himself and the bee attack on his smartphone.
The world number two seemed more motivated after the incident and won convincingly with his best performance in months. Alcaraz won the special match with a resounding score of 6-3, 6-1. Jannik Sinner awaits him in the semi-finals. This promises that Sinner will not lose in 2024.
After that, the Spaniard told his story again: “There were bees in my hair, they came after me. I tried to get away from them, but it was impossible.”
When the two prepared to resume the match, there were still some bees. “They were in the corner and bothering us. During the warm-up I saw more of them. I couldn't focus on the ball, but I focused on the bees and tried to knock them out several times.”
“That's why we stopped several times before the match started again. In the end the bees went away and I tried not to think about it anymore. This was an important match for me personally, I surprised myself that I was able to stay focused.” “On the match, not on the bees.”
“Subtly charming internet specialist. Avid writer. Friendly alcohol guru. Music ninja. Devoted social media fanatic.”
More Stories
End of Vuelta ordeal: Belgian hope Lennert van Eetvelt out of Tour
This was a powerful opening ceremony for the Paralympics, steeped in symbolism and French charm.
Mathias Delorg helps KAA Gent reach sixth straight European group stage