NEW YORK – French tennis player Benoit Paire tested positive for the coronavirus and was removed from the U.S.
Open field, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday.Paire is the first player to test positive ahead of the Grand Slam tournament, which begins Monday without spectators amid the pandemic.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Paire’s status had not been announced by the U.S.
Tennis Association. The USTA later issued a statement saying a player — whom it did not identify by name — “has been withdrawn” from the U.S.
Open after testing positive for COVID-19. The statement said the player is asymptomatic.The 31-year-old Paire was seeded 17th and was supposed to face Kamil.