The Hero Of Tennis Paradise: Local Beekeeper To The Rescue In Indian Wells

By BNP Paribas Open

Tennis Paradise has been abuzz the past two weeks as fans swarm the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.

But on Thursday, an unwanted swarm descended upon the venue. Roughly 15 minutes into the highly anticipated quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, a swarm of bees disrupted play and forced the match to be suspended.

Players were forced to retreat to the tunnel as play was paused due to the hazardous conditions on court. But luckily, a local Palm Desert beekeeper was called to the rescue and able to quickly mitigate the situation. There's truly never a dull day in Tennis Paradise.

Relive some of the best photos from this unprecedented episode.

A swarm of bees seemed to be attracted to the overhead sky video camera used on Stadium 1.

Bees flood the air over Stadium 1, disrupting play for nearly 90 minutes.

But lucky for fans, Lance Davis of Killer Bee Live Removal was here to save the day.

Alcaraz and Zverev watch the action unfold from a TV in the tunnel.

Davis comes to the net to inform Alcaraz and Zverev that play is safe to resume.

Davis has worked with the tournament for approximately seven years on a need basis.

Alcaraz uses his shirt to protect himself from bees as they swarm the court.

Zverev inspects his opponent's head for a potential sting during the pause in play.

Davis used a vacuum that filters the bees into a live catch cage, a natural and humane way to remove them from the site.

Zverev and Alcaraz await for the news that the court is safe for play to resume.

After a nearly 90-minute delay, Stadium 1 was deemed safe for play. Alcaraz went on to win the match 6-3, 6-1 and set up a semifinal matchup with Jannik Sinner.

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