24-year old player ranked 274 WTA singles will serve a one month suspension after being found to have attempted to contrive the outcome of a qualifying match
at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells
Russian tennis player Irina Khromacheva has been suspended for three months and fined $3,000 after being found guilty of attempting to contrive the outcome of a first round qualifying match at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March this year.
Two months of the ban and all of the $3,000 fine are suspended on the basis that no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program are committed by the player. She will therefore serve a one month suspension, effective from 19 September 2019.
The case against Ms Khromacheva was based on a Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) investigation and considered at a disciplinary Hearing held in London on 9 September 2019.
Independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Prof Richard H McLaren found that Ms Khromacheva had offered another player the opportunity to take her place in first round qualifying, in exchange for being paid the equivalent of the prize money she would have received if she had played the match.
The disciplinary decision from Prof McLaren found that the offence was ‘more of a technical violation of the Program than a significant or substantive breach’ and that it was at the ‘lowest end of the scale’.
As a result, Ms Khromacheva is prohibited from competing in, or attending, any sanctioned event organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport for the duration of the one month suspension. Assuming no further offences take place during that period, she will be eligible to resume playing tennis from 18 October 2019.
The 24-year old is currently ranked 274 in WTA singles and has a career-best ranking of 89 in February 2017. As a doubles player she is ranked 108 with a highest ranking of 41 in April 2019.
The breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program she was found to have committed is the offence relating to contriving the outcome of a match, namely:
Section D.1.d: "No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event."
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA, who are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to corruption in tennis.
Published 20 September 2019 14:00
