ESPN.com - French Open 2002 - Briefcase full of 'ordinary' things
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Thursday, July 17
Briefcase full of 'ordinary' things

PARIS -- A court at the French Open was evacuated Friday when an unattended briefcase in the stands raised suspicion during a match between 1998 champion Carlos Moya and Guillermo Canas.

A bomb squad was called into the stadium and exploded the black attache case, which didn't contain anything out of the ordinary, tournament co-director Alain Rious said.

The players were tied at a set apiece in a third-round match at Court 1 when officials cleared the 3,790-capacity stadium. The only people left in the stadium were police and security officers.

The bag was under a bench in the upper level with a jacket draped on top of the seat above.

``It turned out to be a briefcase forgotten by an absent-minded spectator,'' organizers said.

Fans crowded outside the stadium, one of 20 courts at Roland Garros, before being let back in about an hour later when Moya and Canas resumed their match.

``It's a shame,'' said Christophe Guionnet, a fan who was seated near the briefcase. ``I came here to watch tennis, but you have to put security first.''

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