BRAZZAVILLE/STARNBERG, February 18, 2025
Tennis Action at the Brazzaville Challenger was briefly halted on Tuesday after gunshots were heard near the tournament venue. Players and officials were forced to pause matches but play resumed after a short delay.
This is only the second edition of the ATP Challenger Tour 50 event hosted by the Academie de Tennis de Brazzaville and the start of a three-week clay-court swing in Continental Africa. At the time of the incident, Dutchman Guy den Ouden was competing against Russian Ivan Denisov.
A video shows that the players only heard the gunfire, as the events took place on a nearby street behind a visual barrier. Following the initial chaos, both players and officials quickly left the court. However, after a 15-minute delay, the match was resumed.
Riots and shootings just meters from a Challenger Tour match in Brazville, Congo Republic ???
— Tennis Masterr (@tennismasterr) February 18, 2025
ATP Challenger Tour issues statement
Later in the evening, the ATP Challenger Tour stated that play was temporarily suspended due to a routine training exercise conducted by a nearby police academy. They shared via social media that the suspension lasted approximately 10 minutes, after which play resumed without issue.
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.… pic.twitter.com/qiXkGQb7SQ
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 18, 2025
