{"id":71687,"date":"2024-03-16T00:27:16","date_gmt":"2024-03-16T00:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/alcaraz-makes-beeline-to-indian-wells-semis-to-face-sinner-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-03-16T00:27:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T00:27:16","slug":"alcaraz-makes-beeline-to-indian-wells-semis-to-face-sinner-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/alcaraz-makes-beeline-to-indian-wells-semis-to-face-sinner-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcaraz makes beeline to Indian Wells semis, to face Sinner | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nINDIAN WELLS:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz fought off swarming bees and Alexander Zverev on Thursday to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner<\/a> at Indian Wells.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Sinner powered into the semi-finals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Czech Jiri Lehecka pushing his match win streak to 19.<\/p>\n

Sinner’s run stretches back through last year’s Davis Cup finals and includes a perfect 16-0 record in 2024.<\/p>\n

In Saturday’s semi-finals he’ll be out to turn the tables on Alcaraz<\/a>, who beat him at the same stage last year on the way to the title in the California desert.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz said he never imagined his title defense would find him ducking for cover amid a swarm of bees.<\/p>\n

He and Zverev were just two games into their match when the bees overwhelmed proceedings, Alcaraz swatting and swiping at the insects after being stung on the forehead.<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

“For sure the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” he said, recalling that he noticed the bees after winning a point on serve in the third game.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible.”<\/p>\n

A bee expert was summoned and removed the bees clustered on the aerial camera with a live-capture vacuum.<\/p>\n

The players were brought back on court to warm up, although Alcaraz insisted beekeeper Lance Davis get rid of some stragglers around the player chairs and equipment.<\/p>\n

“I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said “I’m a little bit afraid of bees.”<\/p>\n

But he had no more trouble — with the bees or Zverev.<\/p>\n

He said he was pleased with how he managed to stay focused during the delay, as well as with his superb return game against the big-serving Zverev.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz said he played “probably one of my best return matches that I’ve done in my tennis career.<\/p>\n

“I put every return in,” said Alcaraz, who has gone from strength to strength as he chases his first title since he vanquished Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last July.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In breezy conditions on court two, Sinner was in firm control, breaking Lehecka early in each set and saving the only break point he faced in the match.<\/p>\n

“Today was for sure a different situation,” Sinner said. “In the beginning was windy, but I handled it very well.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Medvedev will play American Tommy Paul, who turned the tables on Casper Ruud with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory over the ninth-ranked Norwegian.<\/p>\n

Paul belted 35 winners, saving two break points when serving for the match before clinching it on his second match point.<\/p>\n

“It’s awesome,” said Paul, who had dropped four of his five prior meetings with Ruud. “I’m really pumped with how I’m playing.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-15-at-3-40-54-PM1710499319-0\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-15-at-3-40-54-PM1710499319-0.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t