Tennis players in an event in India were forced to flee the court after a huge swarm of bees invaded their space. Australian tennis star Talia Gibson was pitted against Sahaja Yamalapalli in the W100K event, the Bengaluru Open.

When the first two points were played, things appeared to be playing out like any other tennis event. However, both players suddenly dropped their rackets and sprinted off the court along with the ball boys and umpire. For those watching on the television or social media, it was a moment of fear and confusion, as it was unclear what exactly had caused the swift exodus. The culprits who caused the disorder were a large swarm of honey bees.

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The uninvited guests were first spotted by an official, who then informed the umpire about the trouble heading their direction. Understandably, the match was suspended for around 30 minutes until the swarm had got on their way.

With the match taking place within the S.M. Krishna tennis stadium, bees were an occupational hazard of the event. The arena sits within the 200-acre Cubbon Park and is surrounded by more than 8,000 trees.

When the bees did move away, Gibson and Yamalapalli were able to complete their last-16 clash. Perhaps fearful of another invasion of bees, Gibson destroyed her opponent 6-0, 6-0, wrapping up the contest in quick fashion.

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It's not the first time nature's pollinators have caused havoc in a tennis match. Very little in the sport causes trouble to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

However, the Spaniard was once left terrified when a swarm of bees disrupted his match against Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells in 2024. Despite trying to swat them away with his racket, he ended up getting stung right on the forehead.

Commenting on the incident at the time, he said: "For sure, the most unusual match I have ever played in my career. I thought it was just a few of them. But I saw the sky and there were thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going for me.

"I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible. I'm a little bit afraid of them. I was running everywhere."