The defending champion Carlos Alcaraz did not leave the slightest chance to German tennis player Alexander Zverev 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 ), during a match interrupted for nearly two hours by an invasion of bees.
The Spaniard qualified easily for the semi-finals, where he will face Jannik Sinner.
With the scoreboard showing a play everywhere, Alcaraz began waving his racket around his face, bothered by a sudden and massive arrival of bees on one of the most prestigious center courts in the world.
The referee then observed the situation from the top of his chair, before 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).