The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Thursday that five more tennis players have been banned from the sport for their involvement in a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium. The charges against the players stem from matches played in 2017 and 2018. The ITIA alleges that these players were involved in various forms of corruption, including:
* Contriving match outcomes
* Facilitating betting
* Accepting money for not giving their best effort
* Failing to report corrupt approaches
These five players join at least 15 others who have previously been suspended for their links to the syndicate, which was run by Grigor Sargsyan. Sargsyan was previously sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the operation.
All five players involved in the latest suspensions admitted to their breaches of the ITIA rules and accepted the penalties imposed. Among the five players, Iván Endara of Ecuador received the most severe punishment, a five-year ban and a $15,000 fine. Endara, 36, held a career-high singles ranking of No. 367 in July 2015.
Two Mexican players, Mauricio Reséndiz Domínguez (29) and Raúl Isaías Rosas-Zarur (35), were also banned for five years and fined $15,000. Two other Mexican players, Ivar Aramburu Contreras (30) and Aitor Aramburu Contreras (32), received shorter bans. Ivar Aramburu Contreras was suspended for two years and two months, while Aitor Aramburu Contreras was suspended for one year and ten months.
The ITIA’s continued efforts to combat match-fixing in tennis highlight the ongoing challenges the sport faces in maintaining its integrity. The agency’s investigations and sanctions send a strong message to players that such corrupt activities will not be tolerated.
