Alcaraz attempted to fend off the buzzing bees surrounding him before seeking refuge, prompting the match to be suspended just 19 minutes in while Alcaraz was serving at 1-1.
Several bees clustered around the overhead spider camera, which traverses the court, prompting a man without protective gear to use a vacuum to remove them. Summoned to the court, the bee vacuumer also wielded a spray bottle to dampen seats and the surrounding walls.
Following a delay lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes, the match resumed, with the total duration of actual play amounting to 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner continued his impressive winning streak by defeating Jiri Lehecka with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3, further extending his unbeaten run to 16 consecutive matches since the beginning of the year. His remarkable form sets him up for a highly anticipated semifinal clash against Alcaraz scheduled for Saturday.
Sinner's outstanding performance includes his triumph at the Australian Open earlier in the year. The Italian sensation remains undefeated with a flawless record of 19 wins and no losses overall, a streak that dates back to the Davis Cup from last year. Furthermore, he has won an impressive 21 out of his last 22 sets played, showcasing his dominance on the court.
“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.”
In the opening set, Sinner committed only four unforced errors, contrasting with Lehecka's 17 mistakes.
In the second set, Sinner secured the solitary break in the fourth game with a backhand winner. Although Lehecka managed to nullify Sinner’s initial match point in the eighth game, Sinner eventually capitalized on his fourth match point while serving to clinch the victory.
“I’ve improved many things which makes me more confident on the court,” Sinner said.
Tommy Paul staged a comeback against the ninth-seeded Casper Ruud, securing a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory to advance to his second-ever Masters 1000 semifinal. Employing a strategic game plan, the American capitalized on net play, winning 25 crucial points.
“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.”
In the other semifinal, Paul is set to face off against the fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Holger Rune earlier on Thursday.
Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player, staged a comeback from a 1-4 deficit in the first set and progressed to the next round after Caroline Wozniacki retired during their quarterfinal match.
Coco Gauff secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Yuan Yue in a 1½-hour match, despite committing 17 double faults against seven aces.
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine clinched a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Russian Anastasia Potapova, marking her first win in three career meetings and advancing to the semifinals.
Maria Sakkari battled past Emma Navarro with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory, securing the final spot in the semifinals.
Wozniacki, a former top-ranked player and winner of the 2011 tournament, quickly gained momentum in the first set by taking a commanding 4-1 lead. During this phase of the match, Swiatek encountered difficulties, committing a significant number of unforced errors, amounting to a total of 17 mistakes.
However, Swiatek quickly shifted gears and dominated the remainder of the set, winning the final five games to clinch the first set. In a crucial moment, she broke Wozniacki's serve in a tense four-deuce game to secure the set victory. Notably, Swiatek showcased her prowess with 17 winners during this set, all while under the watchful eye of actor Will Ferrell.
Swiatek's consistent performance earned her a place in the semifinals for the third year running at the Southern California desert tournament. Her remarkable display included conceding just 14 games across all her matches leading up to this stage. On the other hand, Wozniacki, participating in her seventh tournament since coming out of retirement 3½ years ago to prioritize marriage and motherhood, demonstrated her enduring strength and determination on the court despite the loss.
For the first time in the combined ATP Tour and WTA Tour event's history, all eight quarterfinal matches were scheduled to take place on the same day.
