Tennis players had to make like a bee and buzz off. Second-ranked Carlos Alcaras and his opponent No. 6 Alexander Zverev had to their leave the court during their quarterfinal match Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open 2024 in Indian Wells, California after the area was invaded by a swarm of bees. The stoppage occurred early in the first set after Alcaras was swarmed as he was about to serve with the score at 1-1 (15-0). He began swatting at the bees with his hand and racket before leaving the Stadium 1 court. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are surrounded by bees here so play is paused for a while,” umpire Mohamed Lahyani told the crowd. “Play cannot continue. Pause for a while now.” Best to bee careful. The spider cam, a camera that hovers on cables above the court during play, was covered by bees. A beekeeper arrived and began removing the bees from the camera. It wasnt the first time a professional sporting event was suspended by bees. A 2019 baseball game between the and was delayed for 28 minutes after bees gathered on a microphone attached to the netting near the Padres’ dugout. A 2023 game between the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles was paused for five minutes when a swarm of honeybees settled in left field. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. to open the story in your web browser.
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