FREEDOM AT LAST

Russian Sizikova cleared of match-fixing, says lawyer

The 28-year-old was arrested at Roland Garros in 2021 as part of an investigation into match-fixing allegations dating back to the 2020 edition of the Grand Slam.

In Summary

• She has continued to play on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour since her arrest and will compete at this year's French Open, which starts on Sunday.

• Sizikova and American Sabrina Santamaria play in the semi-finals of the Morocco Open on Thursday.

Yana Sizikova in action
Yana Sizikova in action
Image: /BBC

Russian doubles player Yana Sizikova has been cleared of match-fixing two years after her arrest at the French Open, according to her lawyer.

The 28-year-old was arrested at Roland Garros in 2021 as part of an investigation into match-fixing allegations dating back to the 2020 edition of the Grand Slam.

Sizikova, ranked 50th in doubles, has continued to play on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour since her arrest and will compete at this year's French Open, which starts on Sunday.

"After two and a half years of investigation, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office definitively closed the case on 11 April 2023, considering that criminal proceedings could not be initiated, as the facts of which Ms Sizikova was accused could not be established," her lawyer Frederic Belot told Reuters.

Officials began investigating in October 2020 after suspicions of "organised fraud" and "corruption in sports".

A source close to the investigation told the BBC at the time the inquiry focused on a first-round match in which Sizikova and American partner Madison Brengle lost 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 to Romanian pair Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig.

Suspicions were reportedly raised after betting companies noticed hundreds of thousands of euros had been wagered on a break of serve in the second set.

Sizikova was released a day after her arrest in 2021.

In July 2022 she and fellow Russian Anastasia Potapova won the Prague Open, while Sizikova reached two other finals last year.

Sizikova and American Sabrina Santamaria play in the semi-finals of the Morocco Open on Thursday.