ROME -- The 2024 Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 tournament exceeded all expectation. Which isn’t to say it was an unalloyed joy for on-site fans. Christened the Sunshine Double – the event’s first leg in the California desert was short on heat and long on precipitation. Rain frequently interrupted matches in the early rounds, and temperatures for evening events plunged to the mid-50’s, leaving many courtside seats conspicuously empty and others occupied by shivering spectators huddled under umbrellas, as if at Wimbledon.

 Seemingly bewitched by the bizarre weather, Novak Djokovic, seeded Number One and the tournament favorite, frittered away the first set against an unknown Italian, 123-ranked Luca Nardi. These days it’s not unusual for the Djoker to drop a set, then come hurtling back to crush his opponent. But this time Nardi refused to follow the familiar script he upset the reigning GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in 3 sets. Djokovic promptly pulled out of next week’s Miami Open.

 After such an astonishing result, fans might be forgiven for assuming there wouldn’t be a greater shock at Indian Wells. But during the quarterfinal between Sascha Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, a Biblical plague descended on the stadium. A swarm of bees, tens of thousands of them, attacked the players, the umpire and ball boys, the cameramen and spectators. The match was put on pause as people fled in terror. Providentially, a beekeeper, Lance Davis, owner of Killer Bee Live Removal, arrived to perform his magic. Holding what looked like a hair dryer, wearing neither mask nor gloves nor protective gear, he bravely waded into the swarm and sucked the buzzing critters up, like so much kitty litter. The job took an hour and forty-eight minutes, and when play resumed Carlos, who had suffered a sting on his scalp, subdued Sascha in straight sets.

 The semifinal match between Sinner and Alcaraz appeared to be made if not in heaven, then at least in a more clement venue than Indian Wells with its torrential floods and furious insects. But with the score 2-1, the sky cracked open from end to end, unleashing a downpour that lasted for more than three hours. By the time the court dried and spectators filed back into their seats, anything seemed possible. An earthquake? An avalanche in the San Gabriel mountains? Instead, normality reasserted itself, and the lanky redheaded Italian looked likely to add to his nineteen-match winning streak. In a preliminary interview even Carlos Alcaraz sounded ready to throw in the towel, calling Sinner “the best tennis player in the world, without a doubt. He’s playing unbelievably.”

 Actually, what Sinner achieved in the opening set was altogether believable. He fell back on the tactic that had served him all year. Patrolling the baseline, he banged back every ball Alcaraz hammered in his direction, and whenever the Spaniard hit to the corners, the Italian returned the shots at acute angles. In just 34 minutes Sinner won the first set 6-1.

 Alcaraz’s response was every bit as unexpected as the desert rain, the cold winds and the cataclysm of bees had been. He changed his game, he switched gears. Recognizing that he couldn’t hit through the Italian, he put more topspin on his forehand and more slice on his backhand. Mixing in dropshots and the occasional volley at the net, he broke in the fourth game and held on to take the second set 6-3.

 The final set figured to be high drama, a fight to the death between two young players likely to dominate tennis for the next decade. But chasing down a dropshot, Sinner stretched fell on the abrasive hard court, jamming his right hand and wrist. The umpire offered to summon medical help, but Sinner played on and the injury clearly hindered his serve and forehand. Carlos broke him twice and easily won the match 6-2.