Shocking moment tennis match is suspended after shots are heard and gas deployed just metres from court
THIS is the shocking moment a tennis match was suspended after gun shots and tear gas were fired next to the court.
The horror incident occurred this morning at a Challenger Tour event, which is the second-highest level of tennis behind the ATP Tour.
During the first matches of the day in Brazzaville, DR Congo chaos suddenly erupted on the road next to the venue.
A group of people can be seen on the street before there is loud gun shots followed by screams.
They then sprint away as tear gas is fired to disperse the crowd.
The shocking scenes were picked up by TV cameras as Guy Den Ouden beat Ivan Denisov 6-1 6-3.
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Both players causally walked off the court while bullets were fired.
Meanwhile, a match between Eliakim Coulibaly and Maik Steiner briefly continued with them unaware of the severity of the situation.
Play was reportedly suspended for just ten minutes before the ties continued as normal.
The commotion is seemingly related to the ongoing riots in the DR Congo.
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Since late January there has been violent demonstrations due to conflict involving rebel groups and Rwanda.
The embassies of the United States, France, Holland and Belgium have all been targeted in recent weeks.
The Challenger Tour is yet to release a statement on what happened.
In another incident, Den Ouden, who is the world No270, said on Instagram that his phone was "stolen" in Brazzaville yesterday.