The Challenger tournament in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, witnessed a disturbing scene on Tuesday due to a shooting incident near the courts where the competition was taking place.
During the match between Dutch player Guy Den Ouden and Russian player Ivan Denisov, gunshots were heard in the street. They were in the middle of the second set, with the Russian about to serve when the sound of gunfire interrupted the game.
The sounds were coming from a street adjacent to the competition venue, and in the footage, people can be seen running. Smoke can be seen afterwards. Amidst the confusion, the players temporarily left the court but later resumed the match, with the Dutch player winning 6-1, 6-3.
Shortly after, the ATP Challenger Tour's X account explained that it was a police exercise: "We can confirm that today the game was temporarily suspended 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 the game resumed without further issues," concludes the ATP statement.