Carlos Alcaraz was stung on the side of the forehead when a swarm of bees descended on his Indian Wells quarter-final against Alexander Zverev.
Umpire Mohamed Lahyani was forced to suspend play in the third game as the bees invaded the court in California.
The match was delayed for one hour and 40 minutes before defending champion Alcaraz won 6-3 6-1.
“For sure the most unusual match I have ever played in my career,” Wimbledon champion Alcaraz said afterwards.
“I saw some bees around, but I thought it was just a few of them. But I saw the sky and there were thousands flying, stuck in my hair, going to me.
“It was crazy. I tried to stay away from them, but it was impossible.
“I’m a little bit afraid of them. I had to stay safe, and I was running everywhere.”
The bees were particularly attracted to the spidercam – a TV camera which moves above the court on cables.
Once the players had left the court and spectators had been removed from one corner of the stands, the tournament’s beekeeper arrived.