Australian top seed Talia Gibson and India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli sprinted off the court in the middle of their second-round match at the W100 Bengaluru Open on Thursday after a swarm of bees invaded the stadium.
Both tennis players paused play as a ball boy pointed at the insects across the court at S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium in India and alerted the umpire.
Gibson and Yamalapalli, as well as the ball boy and ball girl, ran for cover.
The Tribune, which is covering this event – the KPB Trust ITF W100 Women’s Open – can confirm that this was an attack by bees at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru.
The game between Sahaja Yamalapalli and Talia Gibson resumed soon, with the latter winning 6-0, 6-0 and… https://t.co/DYdSR3jEQI
— India Sports Tribune (@insportstribune) February 19, 2026
The umpire hurried down from the chair and followed them to safety.
Other photos show spectators fleeing from their seats amidst the chaos.
The ITF Women’s World Tour match was temporarily suspended for 20 minutes.
Gibson went on to win in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.
The stadium is located within Cubbon Park, which has over 8,000 trees spread across nearly 200 acres.
Earlier this month, Gibson won her first title of the season, defeating Nao Hibino, 6-3, 7-6, in the final at W75 Brisbane.
Yamalapalli is currently India’s No. 1 women’s singles tennis player.
