US Open: Player forced to withdraw due to positive coronavirus test result on eve of Grand Slam

Frenchman Benoit Paire is understood to be the individual who has withdrawn from the first round 24 hours before the start of the US Open

Benoit Paire has withdrawn from the US Open after testing positive for coronavirus (AP)

An unnamed player understood to be Frenchman Benoit Paire has been forced to withdraw from the US Open on the eve of the Grand Slam tournament in New York after testing positive for coronavirus.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) confirmed the positive test result on Sunday, though are not at liberty to reveal the identity of the player.

But widespread reports suggested that Paire produced the positive test, and will now have to isolate for 10 days. The USTA did confirm that the player is not showing any symptoms.

A USTA statement said: "A player has tested positive for Covid-19 at the US Open and has been withdrawn from the tournament. The player is asymptomatic.

"The USTA, together with its medical advisors and infectious disease specialist from the Mount Sinai Health System, confirmed a positive test result for a player.

"In accordance with New York State Department of Health requirements, and in alignment with CDC guidelines and the tournament health and safety protocols, the player has been advised that they must isolate for at least 10 days.

"In addition, contact tracing has been initiated to determine if anyone must quarantine for 14 days."

Paire was due to begin his campaign on Tuesday against Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, though the withdrawal looks set to scupper that first-round tie, should Paire be confirmed as the individual involved.

The USTA has not announced if a replacement will replace the Frenchman in the first round.

Paire has been in New York for two weeks in a bio-secure bubble after competing at last week’s Western & Southern Open at the same venue, though failed to progress beyond the first round after retiring from his opening round encounter with Borna Coric after complaining of feeling unwell.

He was ranked as the No 17th seed for the men’s singles, which gets underway on Monday as the first Grand Slam to take place since the postponement of the French Open and cancellation of Wimbledon.