Play has resumed after rain paused Coco Gauff's match with Maria ...

A day earlier, play was suspended for nearly two hours after a swarm of bees attacked players on Stadium Court.

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Tips to have the best BNP Paribas Open experience at Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Sports columnist Shad Powers and reporter Andrew John offer four tips to newcomers attending the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Indian Wells, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2024

Play has resumed once again after a second pause in play Friday due to rain during the women's semifinal match between American Coco Gauff and Maria Sakkari of Greece at the BNP Paribas Open.

Rain first suspended play at 6:40 p.m. on Friday. Gauff led Sakkari 4-3 in the first set and Sakkari led 40-30 in the eighth game of the set. It paused again with much heavier rain at 7:23 p.m., after Sakkari had won the first set.

The winner of the match will face top-seeded Iga Świątek in the final on Sunday.

Friday's pause in action came a day after a swarm of bees halted play on Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Play was stopped for nearly two hours Thursday, during a men’s quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Germany’s Alexander Zverev, as thousands of bees swarmed Stadium Court. Play stopped around 3:20 p.m., after the bees stung Alcaraz and chased him off the court, and did not resume until after 5 p.m.

“I've never experienced something like that,” Alcaraz said. “I've never seen something like that.”

Friday marked the third time play was suspended during the two-week event.

Play was previously paused for hours on March 6, the first day of main draw matches, pushing 14 evening matches to Thursday. Then, about 24 hours later, more rain suspended five matches and pushed 12 others into Friday’s order of play.

Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, said that threats of showers should continue Friday evening and into Saturday. That would have an affect on the men’s semifinals matches in Indian Wells.

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