The Bengaluru Open tennis tournament witnessed a strange and rare incident on the yellow ball courts after swarms of bees invaded one of the courts, leading to the match being stopped and the players, the umpire, and everyone in the stadium fleeing for fear of bee stings.
Indian media reported that swarms of honey bees invaded the S.M. Krishna stadium during the International Tennis Federation’s Bengaluru tournament, prompting two players and the audience alike to seek safe refuge.
Tennis Court Evacuation
The match was temporarily halted when an official spotted the swarms of honey bees and alerted the players and the umpire during a round of 16 match between top-seeded Australian Talia Gibson and Indian Sahaja Yamalapalli, prompting everyone in the stadium to leave quickly, according to a video that spread on social media.
The stadium is located in the southern state of Karnataka, which also hosted the India vs. Netherlands Davis Cup qualifying match this month, inside Cubbon Park, which contains more than eight thousand trees across nearly two hundred acres.
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After a short time, the match, held as part of the women’s tournament with a total prize pool of one hundred thousand dollars, was resumed and ended with Gibson defeating Yamalapalli 6-0, 6-0 in less than an hour.
Scenes from W100k Bengaluru, players saw something in their right and were asked to run for their lives mid match! Scary scene as the match got suspended ????????
— Karan (@stfukarran)
Bengaluru Open tennis tournament
The Bengaluru Open is an annual ATP Challenger Tour professional tennis tournament held in Bengaluru, India, first held in its current format in 2016. It serves as a key event in the South Asian tennis calendar, helping develop regional talent by providing a competitive platform for players to earn ranking points. The tournament continues the city’s history of hosting professional tennis events, including its predecessor, the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open ATP event in the 2000s.
India
India is a vast South Asian country with one of the world’s oldest civilizations, dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization around 2500 BCE. Its long history includes the rise of major empires, the development of diverse religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, and a significant period of British colonial rule before gaining independence in 1947. Today, it is the world’s largest democracy and a nation renowned for its profound cultural, linguistic, and philosophical heritage.
S.M. Krishna stadium
The S.M. Krishna Stadium is a cricket ground in Hubli, India, named after former Chief Minister of Karnataka Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna. It was established in the early 21st century and has primarily hosted domestic cricket matches, including fixtures in the Ranji Trophy.
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body for tennis, founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation. It is responsible for overseeing the rules of the sport, organizing major team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, and managing the Olympic tennis event.
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It originated as a mud fort in the 16th century and later became a prominent city under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the 18th century before British colonial rule. Today, it is a major global technology hub, often called the “Silicon Valley of India.”
Karnataka
Karnataka is a state in southwestern India known for its diverse heritage, ranging from ancient Hindu empires to modern tech hubs like Bengaluru. Its history includes powerful dynasties such as the Vijayanagara Empire, leaving behind UNESCO sites like Hampi, and the architectural marvels of the Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebidu.
India vs. Netherlands Davis Cup
The Davis Cup tie between India and the Netherlands is a recurring fixture in the international men’s tennis team competition. Their matches, part of the tournament’s global structure, have included notable encounters such as India’s 4-1 victory in a 2016 World Group Play-off held in New Delhi.
Cubbon Park
Cubbon Park is a prominent public park in Bangalore, India, established in 1870 during the British Raj and originally named “Meade’s Park” after Sir John Meade, the acting Commissioner of Mysore. It was designed as a green space to alleviate congestion in the growing city and today spans over 300 acres, featuring historic government buildings, statues, and diverse botanical collections.
