Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after winning a point in his quarterfinal match as he defeated Alexander Zverev (GER) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit:
| Photo Credit: Reuters/USA Today
Carlos Alcaraz survived a swarm of bees that caused a nearly two-hour delay and went on to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, March 14, 2024 night.
Alcaraz swatted at the bees buzzing around him before running for cover and the match was suspended 19 minutes in with Alcaraz serving tied at 1-1.
Dozens of bees attached themselves to the overhead spider camera that traverses the court and a man without any protective covering used a vacuum to clean them off. The bee vacuumer was summoned to the court with a spray bottle that he used to douse seats and the walls around the court.
The match resumed after a delay of one hour, 48 minutes. The actual playing time was 1:29.
Jannik Sinner defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-3 to extend his winning streak to 16 consecutive matches this year. He will play Alcaraz in the semis on Saturday.
Sinner’s run includes the Australian Open title he won in January. The Italian is 19-0 overall dating to last year’s Davis Cup. He’s won 21 of his last 22 sets.
“You earn these things by working hard and believing,” Sinner said in a Tennis Channel interview. “I’m just glad to be in this equation. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16-0 or whatever.”
Sinner made just four unforced errors in the first set when Lehecka had 17 miscues.
Sinner got the lone break in the second set in the fourth game with a backhand winner. Lehecka erased Sinner’s first match point in the eighth game before Sinner converted his fourth match point in serving it out.
“I’ve improved many things which makes me more confident on the court,” Sinner said.
Tommy Paul rallied past ninth-seeded Casper Ruud 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to reach his second career Masters 1000 semifinal. The American won 25 points at the net, which was part of his game plan.
“It was to play aggressive, come out and play my game and make him uncomfortable especially on the pressure points,” Paul said. “I broke the (racket) string on match point and I was like, ‘Oh no,’ and kind of rushed the net and hoped for the best.”
Paul will play fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal. Medvedev defeated Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday.
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