Five French tennis players banned in match-fixing scandal linked to Belgian crime syndicate
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has issued bans to five French tennis players after a long investigation uncovered serious breaches of the sport’s anti-corruption code.
The sanctions were made after an international criminal probe into a match-fixing syndicate operating out of Belgium, whose ringleader, Grigor Sargsyan, was sentenced to five years in prison last year.
The five players in question are Yannick Thivant, Thomas Brechemier, Gabriel Petit, Thomas Setodji, and Hugo Daubias, who have received suspensions ranging from two years to a lifetime, with various fines and financial penalties also given out.
The ITIA confirmed that four of the cases were decided by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officers (AHOs), while the fifth was resolved directly between the player and the agency.
Earning the most severe punishment was 38-year-old Yannick Thivant, who was issued a lifetime ban and fined both $75,000 and €37,400 in restitution.
Thivant admitted to fixing a whopping 22 matches between 2017 and 2018, 16 of which involved his own performances.
28-year-old Thomas Brechemier, who was once ranked as high as world number 399, was banned for seven and a half years and fined $40,000 (with $27,500 suspended) after admitting to manipulating 11 matches during the same period.
29-year-old Gabriel Petit on the other hand received a six-and-a-half-year suspension and a $35,000 fine after failing to respond to the ITIA’s charges.
Meanwhile, Thomas Setodji, also 29, was banned for 10 years and fined $20,000, in addition to €5,500 in restitution, for fixing three matches and failing to report a corrupt approach in 2018.
The lightest punishment went to 28-year-old Hugo Daubias, who admitted to fixing two matches in 2017. He accepted a two-year ban and a $15,000 fine, effective from 21 March 2025.
During their suspensions, all five of the aforementioned players are barred from participating in or attending any professional tennis event sanctioned by the ITIA’s member bodies, which include the ATP, WTA, ITF, and national tennis associations like the USTA and Fédération Française de Tennis.
The ITIA’s investigation, which involved close cooperation with Belgian authorities, is one of the most extensive corruption crackdowns in the sport’s recent history.
“The facts in this matter require that the most serious sanctions be imposed,” said Professor Richard McLaren, who oversaw Thivant’s case, in a statement accompanying his ruling.
These punishments, while quite severe, do seem just and bring to light that match-fixing is happening at all levels of the sport, not just your back alley games.
All in all, tennis officials hope the bans and fines showcase the clear message that offenses of this ilk will not be tolerated.
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