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ATP Challenger Tournament in UAE Cancelled Amid Missile Strikes

Posted : 06 March 2026

Explosions rocked the area outside a Dubai hotel as Iranian missiles targeted the United Arab Emirates, leaving ATP Challenger players in nearby Fujairah uncertain about their safety. The port city, roughly an hour’s drive from Dubai, is a critical hub for global oil storage and bunkering. Despite the danger, tournament organizers initially deemed it safe to continue play.

Australian player James McCabe recalled practicing on court when he heard explosions and fighter jets overhead. “We expected to stay in shelter because that’s what the governments were advising,” he said. The attacks followed retaliatory strikes from Iran after US-Israeli operations on Iranian targets the previous Saturday.

On Tuesday, the situation escalated when debris from a drone attack set fire to a nearby oil terminal, forcing players to run from the courts. Following the incident, the tournament, as well as a second event scheduled at the same venue the following week, was cancelled. Players scrambled for flights, with Russian Marat Sharipov and Uzbek Sergey Fomin still stranded in the UAE along with their coaches.

McCabe, now back in Sydney, expressed disbelief over the initial decision to continue the tournament. “A lot of the players didn’t want to play in Fujairah. After the oil refinery was hit, it was still in the air that we could be going back on the court the next day—that was the scary part.” He added that it took ten hours for organizers to cancel the event, emphasizing the mental stress it caused.

The ATP initially concluded that the tournament could proceed safely after consulting local officials and implementing extra security measures, holding the event behind closed doors. Players had already arrived in the UAE, meaning no draw changes were necessary. However, many competitors, ranked outside the top 200, faced heightened financial and logistical pressures.

In a statement following the cancellations, the ATP said: “The safety and wellbeing of our players, support teams, and staff members remains our highest priority, and we continue to remain in close contact with those affected.”

 

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