Fire caused by a shrapnel falling on the Fujairah Oil Terminal in the UAE. (AP)

The ATP Challenger tournaments in Fujairah, UAE have been cancelled amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The ATP Tour vowed to cover the entire cost of flying the players out of the country after facing criticism for demanding 5,000 euros (Rs 5.36 lakh) for a chartered jet. For contrast, the prize money for the entire ATP Challenger 50 tournament – 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams – is $63,000 (54,000 euros; Rs 57.98 lakh) with the singles winner taking home less than $10,000 ($8,600; Rs 9.2 lakh).The events on the UAE’s east coast, located on the Gulf of Oman, were scheduled from March 2–8 (Fujairah 1) and March 9–15 (Fujairah 2) but will not take place after US and Israel’s war on Iran brought the entire Gulf region into danger.

Despite the first strikes occurring on Saturday (February 28), the tournament proceeded as planned on Monday (March 2). The most striking visuals came a day later when Belarusian Daniil Ostapenkov and Japan’s Hayato Matsuoka rushed for cover mid-way into their second round qualifying match. A woman, possibly a tournament official, announced, “Everybody inside the lounge, please! Go, go, go!” Alongside the players, ball kids and officials also scrambled for safety.After some deliberation, the ATP cancelled both tournaments. “Following ongoing security concerns in the region, the ATP Challenger Tour events scheduled in Fujairah this week and next week (Fujairah 2) have been cancelled,” the ATP said in a statement.“The safety and well-being of our players and tournament personnel is our highest priority. Players remain on site and are being fully supported, with accommodation and all immediate needs covered while onward travel arrangements are explored,” it added.As if the decision to proceed with a tournament under such conditions wasn’t controversial enough, the ATP Tour reached out to players with the idea of potentially organising a charter flight for the signed-up players at €5,000 per person.

Large fire and plume of smoke is visible after, according to the authorities, debris of an Iranian intercepted drone hit the Fujairah oil facility. (AP/PTI)

“The ATP is potentially organizing a charter flight on Thursday 5th March from Muscat. Departure at 3.00pm, going to Milan, stopping on the way in Egypt. The cost is 5,000 Euro per person,” said the email that TimesofIndia.com has seen.According to this plan, while the logistics were not entirely clear, the players would have been required to take a three-hour drive from Fujairah to Muscat, Oman which would necessitate a border crossing.Two hours later, to make matters worse, another email stated that the ATP was not directly organising such a flight. Instead, it would explore “available travel options with third-party providers.”The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) joined the chorus demanding the ATP work towards player safety. It also said it would reimburse the players €2,500 each to leave the UAE. “We are taking this step to ensure that no player is forced to choose between their safety and their financial stability,” it said in a statement.“We call on the ATP to join us and cover the remaining 2,500 euro per player and work collaboratively toward solutions that put players first.”After the remonstration by players and the PTPA, the ATP Tour did a U-turn and agreed to cover the costs of flying players out of the region and toward safety.‘Heard the sounds of jets’Ukraine’s Vladyslav Orlov said he heard jets during his second-round qualifying win over Ronit Karki on Tuesday.“When I was playing I heard the sounds of the jets flying here and there,“ Orlov said in a video posted on social media. ”And there is smoke going here next to the mountain, so not very safe here right now.”

Instargram Story by Ilya Ivashka who was competing at the ATP Challenger event in Fujairah, UAE. (Instagram)

Ilya Ivashka, who was due to play the qualifying match on Wednesday, shared a screenshot of the email on Instagram, with the caption: “no words needed @atptour” followed by the hand-clapping emojis.Russia’s Marat Sharipov wrote on Instagram: “Thank you @atpchallenger for arranging us a charter for ONLY 5000 euros! That’s slightly more than the prize money after taxes for winning the tournament, but I appreciate the gesture!”Japan’s Takuya Kamasaka posted an image of Fujairah Oil Terminal with the caption: “The intercepted drone fell on an oil facility, causing a fire. Today’s match has been cancelled. I want to go home safely…,” he wrote on Instagram.

Instagram Story by Japan’s Takuya Kamasaka.

Finn Bass, who was originally scheduled to play in the tournament, was shocked that the tournament began at all.“Was meant to be playing there this week, cannot believe they’ve gone ahead and not cancelled the event. Madness,” he wrote on X before the tournament was called off.The UAE later confirmed that shrapnel had landed at the Fujairah Oil Terminal, not far from the Tennis Country Club Fujairah. It also said that the armed forces had intercepted a drone attack but no casualties were reported.After the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships played last week, players were also stuck due to closed airspace in the region. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are two of the prominent names who were affected. Both have entered the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, California, which starts on Wednesday (March 4). However, neither will play before Friday at the earliest.

India’s double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu went through a scary experience after she was left stranded at Dubai airport while travelling to the All England Open Badminton Championships on Saturday, February 28. Her journey was disrupted after flight operations were suspended due to the ongoing Iran-Israel war and the subsequent tensions in the Middle East.

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Sindhu was on her way from Bengaluru to Birmingham to compete in the prestigious tournament, which is scheduled to take place from March 3 to March 8. However, things took an unexpected turn when her flight landed in Dubai and the
airspace was shut down due to missiles and drones reportedly fired by the Iranian authorities in response to attacks from Israel and the United States.

Sindu was left stranded at the airport as flight services were temporarily stopped. Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Sindhu explained what happened. “Firstly, thank you all who have been reaching out and checking on us,” she was quoted as saying to the media outlet.

“Well, I was transiting from Bangalore, where I train and live full-time now, to Birmingham in the UK to compete in the All England championships. And you know, once our flight landed in Dubai, events beyond our control began to unfold, and shortly after, you know, the airspace also was shut down. And the last few hours have been extremely tense. We could hear the sounds of interceptions overhead, and a few hours later, there was an explosion very close to where we were holed up at Dubai Airport,” she said.

Sindhu said her coach was just about 100 metres away from where the explosion happened. He had to quickly move away from the area to stay safe. “My coach was barely about 100 meters away there. You know, it happened, and had to quickly move out of the area. You know, experiencing something like this in such close quarters is truly, you know, it truly shakes the very foundation you’re built on and you never expect these things to happen to you or anyone close to you,” Sindhu revealed.

The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour.

A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an… https://t.co/ZdNtuALk0P

— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 1, 2026

“But sometimes situations are beyond your control. They do so, you know, I feel incredibly blessed to have such a strong and united team around me, and everyone has stayed calm, supported one another and shown real strength during a very frightening situation. And currently, we are safe now and have been moved to a more secure place,” she added.

Sindhu thanked the Dubai airport authorities and airline staff for their support. She also expressed gratitude towards the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their quick response. Sindhu said that when she reached out for help, the High Commission immediately deployed a high-priority team to assist them.

“I’m deeply, you know, grateful to the Dubai authorities and the staff and Dubai Airport. Also, we’ve been, you know, incredibly tireless in ensuring everyone’s safety. We’re also truly grateful to Emirates and the airport staff for being incredibly kind and supportive. You know, with so many passengers stranded, their hands were understandably tied, but they showed genuine empathy and care towards everyone going through this difficult experience,” Sindhu said.

“I would also like to sincerely thank the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their extraordinary support. And when I reached out requesting assistance, the high commission immediately responded, and on high super priority notice, deployed his team to help us. They have been incredibly supportive of, not just to me, but to everyone stranded here, ensuring safety coordination and constant communication during a very difficult time, and anyone currently stuck or needing assistance is encouraged to reach out using the official Helpline Numbers shared by the high commission. And of course, we are truly blessed to have such a sensitised and credibile in looking out for Indian citizens here for now, we’re trying to get some rest and remain hopeful as the situation continues to unfold. So thank you for your prayers, messages and concern. It truly means a lot to all of us,” she concluded.