Chinese tennis player banned 12 years for match-fixing spree

LONDON (AP) — Chinese tennis player Pang Renlong has been banned for 12 years and fined $110,000 for a match-fixing spree involving 22 matches in a five-month period.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday that the 25-year-old Pang admitted to fixing five of his own matches in lower-level events and making “corrupt approaches” to players in 11 more matches, six of which were also fixed.

The match-fixing happened from May through September 2024, the ITIA said. During that period, Pang played in various ITF tournaments in Turkey, Hong Kong and mainland China and lost in qualifying for one ATP Challenger event, the Jinan Open in China.

The ITIA didn’t list the fixed matches linked to Pang, whose career-high ranking was 1,316th last year. His suspension is due to run through 2036, including time already spent under a provisional suspension. Of his $110,000 fine, $70,000 was suspended.

He is banned from playing in, coaching at or attending any event organized by major tennis bodies or national federations.

Last week, the ITIA announced French player Quentin Folliot was suspended 20 years for match-fixing and recruiting other players “on behalf of a match-fixing syndicate.” He was the sixth player banned over allegations of involvement with the group.

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