Players flee UAE courts after nearby Iranian drone strike

Field Level Media
03 Mar 2026, 22:49 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY)

Players and officials at an ATP Challenger event in the United Arab Emirates had to flee Tuesday when a fire broke out nearby after an Iranian drone attack, BBC Sport reported.

Two matches were suspended in progress at the Fujairah Open, where a live feed on the ATP website showed Daniil Ostapenkov of Belarus and Hayato Matsuoka of Japan running off the court along with the umpire and line judges during the second-round qualifying match.

The fire reportedly occurred at an oil terminal about 5 miles from Fujairah, which is located 90 miles southeast of Dubai.

Action at the tournament for the rest of the day was canceled.

'The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority,' the ATP told BBC Sport.

'Following consultation with local authorities and security advisers, play has been canceled for the remainder of the day as a precautionary measure. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide further updates as appropriate.'

The outdoor, hardcourt tournament is scheduled to run through Sunday. The ATP Challenger Tour is the second tier of men's professional tennis, below the ATP Tour.

Organizers of events across the sports landscape have been monitoring developments throughout the Middle East since the United States and Israel launched a strike against Iran over the weekend.

--Field Level Media

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