Rio Open tennis tournament canceled due to COVID-19 spike

<p>RIO DE JANEIRO &mdash; This year’s Rio Open tennis tournament was canceled on Thursday because of the spike in COVID-19 cases in Brazil, organizers said. </p>
<p>The ATP tournament had already been postponed from its original February dates, and organizers said the continued uncertainty around the pandemic meant it would not be rescheduled. </p>
<p>“We fought until the end to be able to play in 2021, but unfortunately it is not possible,” said tournament director Luiz Carvalho. </p>
<p>The coronavirus has killed more than 320,000 people in the South American nation, with March its deadliest month since the pandemic began. </p>
<p>Organizers said next year’s tournament would be played in February. The 2020 Rio Open champion was Chile’s Cristian Garin.</p>
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<p>More AP tennis: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tennis">https://apnews.com/hub/tennis</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>