Tennis players and officials were forced to abandon play after a drone strike near the venue sparked a fire at an oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates during an ATP Challenger Tour match on Tuesday.
The alarming scenes unfolded in Fujairah, approximately 90 miles south-east of Dubai, as Japan’s Hayato Matsuoka was preparing to serve in the third set of his match against Belarusian Daniil Ostapenkov. A siren sounded abruptly, followed by a loud explosion that echoed around the court.
After a brief exchange with the umpire, Matsuoka initially returned to the baseline. However, within moments, he and his opponent sprinted off court, followed by the chair umpire and ball boys as the venue was evacuated.
Local reports indicated that an Iranian drone strike had ignited a nearby oil terminal, prompting organisers to suspend two matches taking place in the city. The ATP later confirmed that the remainder of the day’s play had been cancelled on safety grounds.
The match itself had been evenly poised, with Matsuoka and Ostapenkov sharing the opening two sets before the interruption.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions across the Middle East. The United States and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran last Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks by Iran on US bases across the region. In recent days, Iranian drones and missiles have reportedly targeted the UAE.
The escalating conflict has led to the closure of airspace in several Middle Eastern countries, causing widespread disruption to regional and international air travel.
