Tennis Tournament Canceled in United Arab Emirates Following Security Incidents
The tennis tournament that was taking place in the United Arab Emirates has been canceled following the recent events that forced the players to leave the court on Tuesday.
The Fujairah Open, a second-tier event on the ATP Challenger Tour, had been ongoing despite drone attacks from Iran. However, play was stopped after a nearby oil terminal was hit.
Ukrainian tennis player Vladyslav Orlov, through his social media, reported having heard fighter jets flying overhead during his qualifying match, describing the situation as “not very safe”.
Not very sure
Vladyslav Orlov
The ATP made the decision to cancel the tournament and a second event that was going to be held in the same place next week.
An ATP spokesperson announced that, due to ongoing security concerns in the region, the ATP Challenger Tour events scheduled in Fujairah this week and next (Fujairah 2) have been canceled.The safety and well-being of the players and tournament staff is the top priority. Players are remaining on-site and are receiving all necessary support, including accommodation and coverage of all their immediate needs, while options for their return journey are being explored.
Close contact is maintained with local authorities and tournament organizers, and players will continue to be supported until they can travel safely.
An initial communication sent to the affected players indicated that they could secure a place on a charter flight for 5,000 euros ($5,801), but different options are being sought to help the players leave the country.
British players Zach Stephens and Max Basing were among the participants. Finn Bass, another British player, wrote on X: “I was going to play there this week, I can’t believe they went ahead and didn’t cancel the event. Crazy.”
There is good news for the higher-profile players who had been in Dubai since the conclusion of the Dubai Championship on Saturday.
Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov managed to leave the country through Oman. British doubles player Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara have also left.
Heliovaara, who is traveling with his two children, detailed his difficulties on his blog, including an attempt to follow the Russian trio to Muscat, only to be told that they could not cross the border.
“Today we drove for seven hours and ended up back at the starting point,” said Heliovaara.
“It wasn’t a pleasant trip, especially when we ended up sitting in a packed car for seven hours and had to move things and install child seats several times. Luckily, we had snacks with us and the kids endured it incredibly well, but we still had a bad time.”
Heliovaara later updated the blog to say that they had managed to catch a flight from Dubai to Milan, although it remains to be seen if they will arrive in California in time for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The England women’s cricket team is exploring other options after their training camp in Abu Dhabi was canceled.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said: “There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment and safety is paramount. Luckily, we are quite flexible and adaptable as a team.”
“The security team is always aware of all the trips we have and we were going to have a security briefing, but things changed quite quickly in the last few days.”
“As a senior player, I’m looking to instill a bit of calm and confidence in everyone, that the right decisions will be made. So we’re on hold for the moment.”
