Carlos Alcaraz buzzing in Indian Wells after fans dressed as bees inspire latest win

Well ain’t that just the bee’s knees?!

On Monday, Carlos Alcaraz was reunited with beekeeper Lance Davis a year after a swarm of bees interrupted his eventual Indian Wells quarterfinal win over Alexander Zverev.

The special pre-match coin toss with the 2024 viral sensation, however, was just the beginning of a day as sweet as honey for the two-time defending champion. For a group of fans showed up in bee costumes—and lovingly buzzed in support of Alcaraz.

The Spaniard, flashing his trademark smile throughout his contest with 27th seed Denis Shapovalov, rolled for a 6-2, 6-4 victory—his 14^th consecutive win at the BNP Paribas Open. Alcaraz later credited those in costume for helping bring out a strong level against the left-hander.

“It helped me a lot, because during the whole first set, I was looking at them and laughing. And I always say that when I’m laughing, when I’m having fun on the court, I show good tennis,” he said.

“So probably thanks to them, I could show good tennis, as well. I didn't realize until the second game, the camera put them on the screen. So it was funny. I took a selfie with them at the end, because I think they deserve it.”

It helped me a lot, because during the whole first set, I was looking at them and laughing. And I always say that when I’m laughing, when I’m having fun on the court, I show good tennis. Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz is looking to become the first man to three-peat at the BNP Paribas Open stop since Novak Djokovic pulled it off in 2016. There's a new element in play this year, as Indian Wells organizers switched surfaces from Plexipave to Laykol—bringing the tournament in line with the US Open and Miami.

While the likes of Daniil Medvedev declared it was “probably the slowest I’ve ever played on in my life” after winning his opener last Friday, Alcaraz hasn’t felt much of a difference between the two.

“Right now that I practiced few times, that I have played two matches, it's kind of (the) same court, really slow, bounce a lot,” commented the 21-year-old.

“It's totally different when you play at night or during the day, but I practice, for example, this morning. It was a lot of heat, and the ball was super bouncing and the court is super slow.

“So didn't (feel) any difference, which for me I think is good. They said that they change it, but if nobody told me that, I would think it is the same.”

With a chance to extend his win streak and return to the quarterfinals, Alcaraz next meets Grigor Dimitrov. The No. 14 seed edged out Gael Monfils, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (2), in just over three hours. Dimitrov was two points from defeat at 4-5 in the deciding set after seeing an initial break lead wiped away by the Frenchman.

Dimitrov won his most recent meeting with the four-time major winner at last year’s Miami Open in a performance that left Alcaraz to state his competitor “made me feel like I’m 13 years old.”