A tennis match on the ATP Challenger Tour was briefly suspended on Tuesday after what sounded like gunshots rang out in the Republic of Congo. It also appeared as though tear gas was administered.
Play casually picked right back approximately 10 minutes later as if nothing happened!
The ATP Challenger Tour presents lower-ranked tennis players with an opportunity to earn points and gain access to main draw events on the ATP Tour. Higher-ranked players sometimes compete on the Challenger Tour to regain form and fitness after a hiatus due to injury. Kind of like Minor League Baseball.
First-round action at the Brazzaville Challenger got underway in the Congo on Tuesday. Fifth-seed Guy Den Ouden and Ivan Denisov played on one of the outside courts next to a nearby thoroughfare. Their match came to an abrupt stoppage in the middle of the second set when literal gunshots were heard on the other side of the fence. An ominous smokey haze also appeared in the distance as people scattered in every direction. Screams were audible amid the chaos.
Brazzaville R1: (tw // tear gas)) play delay on I. Denisov-G. Den Ouden, annotated pic.twitter.com/Mn5rfnvVDM
— eretzsportmed3(@eretzsportmed3) February 18, 2025
The match between Den Ouden and Denisov was not the only match to be disrupted. Eliakim Coulibay and Maik Steiner also paused for a brief moment to allow the noise to quiet down. They were further away from the scene but it was pretty clear that something weird was going on.
Shooting during Congo challenger in Brazzaville
byu/Expensive_Window_538 intennis
Neither Coulibaly, Steiner, Den Ouden nor Denisov seemed overly concerned by what happened. Play continued not long thereafter. According to the Association of Tennis Professionals, even though the situation looked pretty serious, it was not a big deal. There is no reason to be concerned.
We can confirm that play was temporarily suspended today at the Brazzaville Challenger in the Republic of Congo due to a routine training exercise conducted by a nearby police academy.
The suspension lasted approximately 10 minutes, after which play resumed without issue.
— ATP Challenger Tour
Guy Den Ouden went on to win the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. He will be back on the court at the Brazzaville Challenger in the Republic of Congo on Thursday for the Round of 16. Hopefully no tear gas!
The post Tear Gas And Gunshots Cause Bizarre Stoppage At ATP Challenger Tennis Match In Republic Of Congo appeared first on BroBible.
Tear Gas And Gunshots Cause Bizarre Stoppage At ATP Challenger Tennis Match In Republic Of Congo
Pinoy Human Rights
0 Comments