INDIAN WELLS, United States, Mar 15 (AFP): Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner powered into the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters semi-finals but the match to determine his opponent was put on hold when a swarm of bees forced Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev from the court.
Defending champion Alcaraz and Germany's Zverev were just two games into their quarter-final clash when the bees drove them from Stadium Court.
World number two Alcaraz swatted and swiped at the insects in alarm before seeking shelter.
The bees swarmed the remote-controlled "spider cam" and Alcaraz and Zverev had already run for cover when chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani announced "Ladies and gentlemen, play is suspended due to bee invasion."
A beekeeper was summoned and removed the bees clustered on the aerial camera and the players were brought back on court to warm up.
After the beekeeper sprayed remaining stray bees around the on-court scoreboards and the players chairs and equipment -- to cheers from the crowd -- play resumed after a delay of almost two hours.
Alcaraz, chasing his first title since he vanquished Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last July, has gone from strength to strength in the California desert, showing no sign that the sprained ankle that forced him out of his opening match in Rio de Janeiro in February is still troubling him.
But Zverev, ranked sixth in the world, has won five of their eight prior meetings, including that Australian Open upset.
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