Suspiciously parked car delays French Open start on Court Simonne-Mathieu

A loud sound was heard outside the 5,000-seat stadium, built on the premises of the neighbouring botanical garden, and play started on Court Simonne-Mathieu about 25 minutes later than schedule.

Published : Jun 01, 2021 16:49 IST

Suspiciously parked vehicle outside Roland Garros delays the French open Start on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Tuesday.

Start of play at the French Open between local hope Ugo Humbert and Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania was delayed on Tuesday due to a suspiciously parked vehicle outside Roland Garros, the organisers said.

A loud sound was heard outside the 5,000-seat stadium, built on the premises of the neighbouring botanical garden, and play started on Court Simonne-Mathieu about 25 minutes later than schedule.

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French Tennis Federation (FFT) said the start was delayed due to security officials neutralising a vehicle illegally parked outside the stadium.

"It was a routine security intervention by the police," an FFT spokesman told Reuters . "Everything is back to normal."

A police source said the vehicle was a stolen car and security checks confirmed there were no explosives attached.

Matches on the other courts on the third day of the clay court Grand Slam started on time.