INDIAN WELLS: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz fought off swarming bees and Alexander Zverev on Thursday to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells.
World number two Alcaraz was stung on the forehead and temporarily forced from the court as a “bee invasion” halted his quarter-final against Germany’s Zverev with just two games completed.He looked none the worse for wear when play resumed after a delay of almost two hours, polishing off a 6-3, 6-1 victory and avenging a quarter-final loss to Zverev at the Australian Open.
In Saturday’s semi-finals he’ll be out to turn the tables on Alcaraz, who beat him at the same stage last year on the way to the title in the California desert.Alcaraz said he never imagined his title defence would find him ducking for cover amid a swarm of bees. “I thought it was just a few of them, not too many,” he said. “But I saw the sky and there was thousands, thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy.A bee expert was summoned and removed the bees clustered on the aerial camera with a live-capture vacuum.
He can expect a tough challenge against Sinner, who captured his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne and has since lifted the trophy in Rotterdam. Fourth-ranked Daniil Medvedev, runner-up to Alcaraz last year, booked a return trip to the semi-finals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over seventh-ranked Holger Rune of Denmark.
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