“Social buzz” took on a literal meaning at the Guadalajara Open Akron this week.
Between matches on the Akron Tennis Stadium on Monday, a massive swarm of bees somehow found time to create a cluster on the umpire’s chair, delaying the match between Petra Kvitova and Bernarda Pera for nearly an hour.
With spooky season fast approaching, the tournament took time to record the invasion:
However, as documented by former Top 100 player and current commentator Melanie South, rescue plans were quickly set into motion:
The bees were eventually removed from the premises, and Kvitova finally took to court for a straight-sets win. Afterward, the two-time Wimbledon champion found time to make her own jokes:
Also this week, one-upsmanship between a pair of Top 10 players moved from between the lines to off-court.
Paula Badosa, this week’s No.1 seed, arranged for No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka to receive a festive birthday celebration at a local restaurant, complete with a sparkling dessert and balloons.
The problem, though, is that it is October. Sabalenka’s birthday is in May.
“It’s not my birthday, it’s just Paula has such a good sense of humor,” an amused Sabalenka noted in her Instagram stories.
“November 15, you’ll receive a nice present,” Sabalenka responded to Badosa on Instagram. Perhaps a series of pranks has just begun?
Rounding out the buzz from this week’s first round, No.5 seed Coco Gauff saw a familiar face as she returned to her hotel room: