(Video) Ugly Scenes as Terrifying Bee Attack Disrupts Play at W100K Bengaluru Event

Talia Gibson went on to beat India's Sahaja Yamalapalli in straight sets in Bengaluru.

(Video) Ugly Scenes as Terrifying Bee Attack Disrupts Play at W100K Bengaluru Event

There was a terrifying bee attack (via X/Australian Tennis/Karan)

In Short
  • Talia Gibson and Sahaja Yamalapalli had to leave the court due to a swarm of honey bees during the ITF Bengaluru Open.
  • The match was suspended for safety reasons but resumed later, with Gibson winning 6-0, 6-0.
  • This incident follows a similar bee invasion at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, disrupting another tennis match.

Australia’s Talia Gibson and India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli were forced to leave the hard court when the S.M Krishna tennis stadium was abuzz with a swarm of honey bees. The bees invaded the area during the ITF Bengaluru Open in India, forcing even the umpire and some spectators to flee for safety.

It was just 20 minutes after Gibson and Yamalapalli were on the court that the incident happened. In fact, the pair were in the middle of a rally when a ball boy appeared to spot something off in the air that left them shaken. The two players immediately stopped play, with their heads pivoting in that direction.

In a viral video on X, after the players noticed the swarm of honey bees, they swiftly pivoted off the court. Yamalapalli was behind Gibson after she decided to run around the net and snatch her towel before making a quick getaway from the court, while also trying to cover her head in case any bee come close to her.

Minutes later, it became apparent that the court had been invaded by a swarm of bees, which forced play to be suspended. However, the competitors returned to the court after things calmed down, and it was the top seed Gibson that showed excellent strength, winning the match 6-0, 6-0 to reach the next round.

The S.M Krishna tennis stadium is located in the southern part of Karnataka, which hosted the next phase of the Davis Cup qualifier between India and the Netherlands earlier this month, just after the Australian Open. It is located within Cubbon Park, which spans nearly 200 acres and is home to thousands of trees.

However, this is not the first time that bees have invaded the court in a tennis match. At the 2024 Indian Wells Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev’s match was taken over by thousands of bees. The remarkable scene was more reminiscent of a horror movie as they took over a light pole forcing fans and players to flee.

A beekeeper was later brought in to salvage things at the Indian Wells Stadium in California. Alcaraz went on to win the match and also claimed the ATP Masters 1000 championship. The Spaniard recently claimed his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open after beating Novak Djokovic in the final. He’s seeking his maiden Qatar Open title in Doha after beating Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals.

Talia Gibson’s excellent performance during the Australian Open

Talia Gibson made a name for herself at this year’s Australian Open. The 21-year-old, who received a wildcard, crushed Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3 in the opening round of the Grand Slam tournament. It was the second consecutive year that she reached the second round of the first major tournament of the year.

Talia Gibson 1
Talia Gibson (via AFP)

In 2025, she defeated World No.94 Zeynep Sonmez, which was her first Grand Slam victory, but was eliminated in the second round by former top 10 star Paula Badosa in straight sets. At this year’s edition of the Australian Open, she fell to Russia’s Diana Shnaider in three sets, crashing out of the singles tournament.

Gibson is yet to solidify herself in the top 150 of the WTA rankings, but she has been a promising talent since her days in the youth categories, where she showed her potential, making a promising run in national tournaments. The Australian star has won 10 ITF singles titles in her career and 9 doubles titles.

Last year, she played in the qualifying rounds of the Wimbledon Championship and reached the first round before losing to four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. At the US Open, she also crashed out in the first round after Polish star Magdalena Frech defeated her in straight sets.

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