Five tennis players banned for links to Belgian match-fixing syndicate

LONDON (AP) — Five more tennis players linked to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium have been banned from the sport, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Thursday.

The charges stem from matches in 2017 and 2018 and “relate to contriving the outcome of matches, facilitating betting, accepting money in exchange for not giving best efforts, and failure to report corrupt approaches,” the ITIA said in a statement.

The five joined at least 15 other players who have been suspended for having links with the syndicate that was run by Grigor Sargsyan, who was previously given a five-year custodial sentence.

The ITIA said all five players admitted to breaches and accepted their suspensions.

Iván Endara of Ecuador was suspended for five years and fined $15,000. Among the five, the 36-year-old Endara had the career highest world singles ranking — No. 367 in July 2015.

Two Mexican players — 29-year-old Mauricio Reséndiz Domínguez and 35-year-old Raúl Isaías Rosas-Zarur — also both were suspended for five years and fined $15,000.

Another pair of Mexicans received shorter bans: 30-year-old Ivar Aramburu Contreras was suspended for two years, two months; and 32-year-old Aitor Aramburu Contreras was suspended for one year, 10 months

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