French Open 2021: Russian Tennis player Yana Sizikova arrested in match-fixing case
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Yana Sizikova
Much to the shock of tennis fans across the globe, Russian tennis player Yana Sizikova was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of match-fixing at last year’s French Open. However, she was not formally charged and after questioning, the tennis star was released from police custody.
Yana Sizikova was arrested on Thursday in Paris after competing in a doubles match in the French Open 2021. Moreover, the Paris prosecutor’s office claimed that Sizikova is still under investigation until the picture gets crystal clear.
The 26-year-old Sizikova was evidently not pleased with the sudden action by the French police. She denied all the allegations and has claimed that she wants to file a defamation case against the concerned authorities.
Russian Tennis player Yana Sizikova arrested for Match Fixing
The prosecutor’s office said Sizikova was arrested for “sports bribery and organized fraud for acts likely to have been committed in September 2020.” Earlier, Le Parisien newspaper first reported Sizikova’s arrest. According to its report, the Russian national was detained after she came out of her post-match massage and her hotel room was also searched by the authorities.
Reportedly, the concerned case was opened last October by a French police unit specializing in betting fraud and match-fixing during first-round match in French Open 2020
The events due to which all fiasco has ensued date back to a doubles game in 2020 in which Sizikova and her American partner Madison Brengle lost to Romanian pair Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig.
The authorities were suspicious about the game due to the abnormally high betting activity on the match in countries outside France, which was reported to law enforcement, an AFP report suggested.
Speaking to the AP in an interview, Sizikova’s lawyer claimed that she was “extremely shocked. She was placed in custody like a criminal. She says she is innocent and did not want me to assist her during her questioning because she considers herself like a victim,” Belot said.
Belot further claimed that Sizikova had contacted the ITIA when the case was opened last year to deny any wrongdoing.
Sizikova is a doubles specialist with a current world singles ranking of 765. On Thursday, Sizikova and her new partner Ekaterina Alexandrova lost to Australian pair Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round of the women’s doubles in straight sets by 1-6, 1-6.
Also read: Mats Wilander backs Serena Williams to win French Open 2021
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Shubham Bhargava
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