Sports

Bee attack creates buzz at Venus Williams match

It was the big stage, and the bumblebee embraced the attention.

In the midst of an opening-round match between Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krumm at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon, a bee attacked both players at separate times, creating small pauses in the action and many laughs from the fans.

Date-Krumm was the first to be attacked, late in the second set. She bobbed and weaved to the best of her ability, and handed her racket to a ballperson in hopes he would kill it. With some swings of a towel and some failed attempts with the racket, the bee flew off.

That is, until Williams took the same side one game later, and again it attacked. Williams kept her cool, got the bee on her racket, and a ballperson wrapped it up in the towel and took it off.

Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam winner and currently the No. 19 seed, won the match over the unseeded Japanese contender, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Venus Williams and ball boys finally corral the rogue bee.Reuters