LONDON — A significant crackdown on match-fixing has led to severe penalties for five French tennis players, as the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced substantial suspensions on Friday. The most severe penalty was given to Yannick Thivant, a low-ranked player, who has been permanently banned from participating in tennis, and fined $75,000 due to his involvement in fixing 22 matches between 2017 and 2018, with 16 of these matches being ones he played. Thivant’s highest career achievement in ranking was reaching the 590th position in 2015.
The crackdown is linked to activities of a Belgium-based syndicate headed by Grigor Sargsyan, who is already serving a five-year prison sentence for offenses related to match-fixing. More than 30 players were implicated due to their connections with Sargsyan. Thomas Setodji, aged 29, was given a 10-year ban and faced a $20,000 fine. He was found guilty of manipulating three matches in 2017 and failing to report an approach related to corruption the subsequent year. Setodji’s career-best ranking occurred last year, peaking at No. 794.
Another player, Thomas Brechemier, 28, admitted to rigging 11 matches over the same period from 2017 to 2018, resulting in a 7 1/2-year ban and a fine. His highest professional ranking was No. 399 back in 2017. Meanwhile, Gabriel Petit, 29, was suspended for 6 1/2 years and fined after he did not respond to allegations by the ITIA, which sees such inaction as an implicit admission of guilt. Petit attained a ranking of No. 450 in 2018 and was charged with manipulating seven matches between 2017 and 2018.
Lastly, Hugo Daubias, age 28, received a two-year prohibition from the sport along with a $15,000 fine, after confessing to altering the outcomes of two matches in 2017. Daubias’s highest ranking was No. 972 achieved the same year. These penalties represent a continued effort by the integrity agency to uphold fairness in tennis and deter corrupt practices in the sport.