Match-fixing scandal: Five tennis players suspended and fined by ITIA

Ecuador and Mexico players admitting involvement in 2017-2018 match-fixing for influencing match outcomes

Five tennis players have been penalised for violating the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP), according to a statement from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Thursday.

The penalties are tied to a 2023 criminal case in Belgium involving a match-fixing syndicate, in which Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov and French player Leny Mitjana were previously suspended.

The ITIA noted that all five players admitted to the violations and accepted agreed-upon sanctions, waiving their right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer. The charges, dating back to matches played in 2017 and 2018, include manipulating match outcomes, facilitating betting, accepting money for not performing to the best of their ability, and failing to report corrupt approaches.

Ecuadorian player Ivan Endara, who achieved a career-high world singles ranking of 367 in 2015, along with Mexican players Mauricio Resendiz and Raul Isaias Rosas-Zarur, were each handed a five-year suspension, set to end in July 2029, along with a $15,000 fine.

Meanwhile, Mexico's Ivar Aramburu Contreras has been suspended until March 2026 and fined $44,000, with $30,800 of the fine suspended. His brother, Aitor Aramburu Contreras, has been suspended until December 2025 and fined $36,000, with $25,200 of that fine suspended.