The Baseline Awards: All abuzz about Indian Wells, the wildest tournament of 2024

Maybe it was the fact that only two of the Top 8 seeds on the women’s side made it to the quarterfinals. Or perhaps it was five-time champion Novak Djokovic getting knocked out in the third round by lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round in a history-making upset.

Whatever the case, there was clearly something in the air at what many consider the “fifth Grand Slam,” the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., that made it one wild event this year.

WATCH: RUUUN! Carlos Alcaraz gets attacked by swarming bees during Indian Wells QF with Zverev

Aside from any weird mojo, there was something else in the air at one point, and on the court, and everywhere in between: a swarm of bees that descended on Stadium Court 1 in the third game of the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

Play was suspended for close to two hours, after the bees got their stings in on Alcaraz and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.

The so-called “bee invasion” was brought to an end by Lance Davis, the president of Killer Bee Live Removal. The session’s savior was treated like a rock star and superhero rolled into one after coming to the rescue—and rightfully so.

The Alcaraz-Zverev quarterfinal match wasn’t the only one with some drama as Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune experienced some blink-and-you-might-miss-it fireworks.

As finals weekend rolled around, none other than “Challengers” star Zendaya—accompanied by boyfriend and “Spider-Man” castmate Tom Holland—showed up to watch the women’s championship match between Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek.

And after Medvedev and Alcaraz won epic semifinal matches against Tommy Paul and Jannik Sinner, respectively, the two found themselves facing off in the final for the second year in a row.

As if they didn’t experience enough disruptions over the course of the tournament, there was one more in the championship bout.

At the end of a fairly wild two weeks, Swiatek and Alcaraz would go on to defend their titles, making everything right in the desert once again.