5 tennis players were suspended for match-fixing in a case tied to a Belgian syndicate

LONDON — An announcement made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on Thursday reveals that five tennis athletes originating from Mexico and Guatemala have been served with suspensions that are related to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium.

The athletes are part of the ongoing criminal case against Grigor Sargsyan, the head of the syndicate, according to the ITIA. Their suspensions are a continuation of the ban on seven Belgian players, which was publicized last week.

The players who were officially reprimanded on Thursday include Alberto Rojas Maldonado, a Mexican tennis athlete who has been permanently banned from the sport and fined the maximum penalty of $250,000. Maldonado, with a peak ranking of 992nd in 2015, actively participated in 92 infractions and is cited by the ITIA as playing a major role in corrupting other athletes.

Others affected by suspensions as of September 30 include Christopher Díaz Figueroa, José Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez, Antonio Ruiz Rosales, and Orlando Alcántara Rangel.

Figueroa, a Guatemalan athlete who achieved a ranking of 326th in 2011, has been issued a lifetime ban and fined $75,000. Earlier, he was subjected to a match-fixing ban in 2018.

Rodríguez Rodríguez, a Mexican ranked 1,367th in 2017, was found to have collaborated with Maldonado for significant financial gain and was consequently suspended for 12 years and fined $25,001.

Rosales, a Mexican ranked 652nd in 2008, received a 10-year suspension and a $30,000 fine. Rangel, a Mexican stepped down from ranking 1,735th in 2015, was banned for two years and fined $10,000.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis