(March 14, 2024) INDIAN WELLS, California – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a swarm of bees that caused a nearly two-hour delay and buzzed past Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday night.
The match was suspended at 1-1 in the first set with Alcaraz serving when a swarm of bees attached themselves to an overhead camera.
“For sure the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” said Alcarz during his news conference. “I’ve never experienced something like that. I’ve never seen something like that.
“So I think I will remember that match because of that. I think everybody will remember this situation, and we found it as a funny thing. That’s for sure.”
“I won the first point of the third game of the match, and I was ready to serve to the next point. I saw some bees around, but I thought it was just a few of them, just not too many. But I saw the sky and there was thousands, thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy. One of them was hitting on me.
“But yeah, I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible. As I said, stuck in my hair, so I was running out. I’m a little bit afraid of them.
“I had to stay safe, and yeah, I was running everywhere.”
The world No. 2 will play Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner of Italy who defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-3 to extend his winning streak to 16 straight matches.
“Well, honestly, I don’t know how I’m gonna approach the game, how I’m gonna approach the match,” said the Spaniard of his next opponent. “He’s the best tennis player in the world right now, without a doubt.
“I mean, I hear some declarations from Tommy Paul that was funny for me, that he’s absolutely naked right now (smiling). He’s playing unbelievable, no losses this year. I really enjoy watching him play. So it’s going to be a really difficult match. It’s going to be a big challenge for me and see what is my level, you know, facing him.
“The last, I think the last two matches that I have played against him I lost, so I have to adjust a little bit my game and let’s see how it’s gonna be.
“But for sure it’s gonna be the most difficult match that I’m gonna play this year.”
“Carlos, it’s always fun to play with him,” Sinner said. “We are good friends off the court. On the court, we just try to give 100%, no?
“I think we have a good attitude on court. Usually the matches are good. Last year against him, especially here on this court, I struggled a lot. He played much better than me, which then two weeks after I played Miami against him where I won, so, you know, let’s see.
“But he has today a very tough match against Sascha. Especially when he’s serving really well it’s tough to play against him. You know, for sure it’s going to be an exciting match already today to watch, and we see who is going to play against me.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward for every challenge.”
Sinner holds a 4-1 record against Alcaraz.
“I think every player, when you struggle to win or to beat, you have a point where you have to work on.
“There is not only Carlos. There are other players what made me grow as a player. When you reach this kind of level then, you have to work again for different stuff.
“For sure he might change a couple of things trying to beat me. I have to be ready. If he beats me, you have to work again on little details. I think that’s really good and nice to see.
“I reckon that’s what the past Big 3 or Big 4 or have done in a similar way. We try to do the same, no? But whoever is going to be the next, you know, top players, we don’t know yet because, you know, we are all so young. If we see every tournament is a little bit different. But yeah, for sure, I think that’s also exciting part.”
In ladies action, No. 3 Coco Gauff had serving woes with 17 of double faults but made it past Yuan Yue 6-4, 6-3 to gain a final four berth.
“I’m really happy to be through today’s match,” noted the American. “It wasn’t the best style of the serving, but overall I think when it comes to the groundstroke game and returns, everything else, honestly, I played well. I just try and take the positives into the next match.”
Gauff will play Maria Sakkari for a place in the final. The woman from Greece held off American Emma Navarro 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
“Maria I’ve played a couple times now,” said Gauff. “I think the last time I played her was D.C. and that went my way. I think every time playing her, she’s a tough opponent, she’s very athletic and explosive. She doesn’t give you much. She’ll take advantage. You know, I’ve lost to her before and I’ve won before. It will be a tough match.”
“I think it was one of the best matches I have played in a while,” said Sakkari of her comeback win. “Probably last time I played a match at that level was Washington against Jess, so it’s been a while.
“I’m just very happy that I’m finding form again and finding myself again.”
“I would say the form, just because I felt like, you know, even if I had lost, I would still have a lot of positives to take away with me. But obviously the fact that I found a way to just, you know, close it out and just take that win against a player that is playing so well right now, you know, it means a lot to me, because as I said, it’s been a while.
“Now it’s been, like, two, three good matches in a row. I cannot remember the last time I played that well in a lot of matches.”
Sakkari on playing Gauff:
“It’s going to be very tough, but I’m playing great tennis right now. Just, you know, going to challenge myself.”
“She gets a lot of balls. She’s very solid. She doesn’t give a lot of unforced errors and gifts.
“When you play Coco, you have to accept that she’s going to get two, three more balls than anyone else. You just have to be patient. That’s what I did today in order to win today’s match. I just feel that’s my mindset going into tomorrow’s match against her.
“Well, it’s nice to have girls that are actually athletic and fit. Then you feel like, okay, it’s time to challenge myself and play against someone that is equally as fit as I am.”
It will be Marta Kostyuk versus Iga Swiatek in the other women’s semifinal. Iga Swiatek advanced when Caroline Wozniacki retired down 6-4, 1-0 with an injury.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
