Carlos Alcaraz meets man who saved his match from | Sports News

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending men’s champion at Indian Wells, kicked off his title defense by reuniting with an unexpected hero from last year’s tournament.

A year ago, Alcaraz’s quarterfinal match was halted for nearly two hours when a bee swarm descended on the main stadium court, attracted to the moving spidercam. Tournament officials brought in reinforcements – specifically Lance Davis, dubbed the ‘killer bee’ man.

After rescuing Alcaraz’s match and eliminating the bee swarm, Davis was invited back this year to perform the coin toss for the No. 2 seed’s opening match. Alcaraz faced Quentin Halys in the second round on Saturday.

As he approached the net for the coin toss, the umpire introduced him to Davis – but the pair needed no introduction. The 21-year-old appeared thrilled to see the ‘bee man’ return to the tournament under much more positive circumstances and greeted Davis with a hug.

“I hope this year not gonna be bees!” Alcaraz quipped. Commentator Kevin Skinner chimed in: “By the way, here’s a notable man. Lance Davis! King bee, from Killer Bee Live Removal.

“Remember last year in Alcaraz’s match against (Alexander) Zverev when the bees swarmed the court? That was the hero of the day. Get a gander at the shoes if you can for killer bee Lance Davis, he’s got the black and yellow shoes just to go with the theme. He cleaned house and vacuumed the bees last year.”

After catching up with Davis, Alcaraz rushed to the baseline to prepare for his match against Halys, reassured that an expert was on hand in case of another bee invasion. The previous year, Alcaraz’s quarterfinal match against Zverev was disrupted when bees began flying around his head, with one even stinging him, prompting a hasty retreat to the locker room.

Play was suspended as the bees continued to swarm the court. However, less than an hour later, Davis arrived on the scene, making a lasting impression.

Wearing only sunglasses, a long-sleeved shirt, and jeans, the president of Killer Bee Live Removal calmly vacuumed up the bees without any protective gear. He then ran through the stands, high-fiving spectators and posing for photos.

Davis met with the players and tournament officials before play resumed an hour and 48 minutes later. His heroics caught the attention of Ben Stiller, who was watching the match coverage and took to social media to call him “very cool” and “fearless.”

With over five decades of experience working with bees, Davis has been running his company since 1986. In an interview with the ATP, he revealed that his work truck was in for servicing when he received the call from Indian Wells, forcing him to retrieve his vehicle to save the day.

“I had to go drive over to Palms To Pines Automotives and get my truck,” he explained. “They were just starting to work and I went, ‘No, put it back together. I’ve got to go. I’ve got an emergency call!'”

Although Davis missed the remainder of Alcaraz’s match against Zverev, he compensated this year by catching a glimpse of the world No. 2’s showdown with Halys. Alcaraz comfortably won Saturday’s game 6-4, 6-2.