2 Wimbledon matches under fixing cloud after suspicious bets

A match-fixing cloud hangs over Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament. Two matches in the recently-held tournament are being investigated after several ‘very specific and suspicious’ bets were placed around the matches earlier this month, according to a media report.  

The report that appeared in German newspaper Die Weit, says that the probe was launched following suspicious betting patterns during a first-round men’s doubles match. Large bets  were placed against a duo at “irregular times.” The pair won the first set and that increased the odds that they would be defeated. However, the two ended up losing the next three sets, reports cbssports.com quoting the German newspaper.

The second match in question is a singles match and is focused on the opponents of a German player. After the second set, very high bets (five figure wagers) were placed on the exact score of the third set and prop bets surrounding the number of service games. All these bets paid off.

The investigation followed complaints made to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITTA), which has neither confirmed nor denied the development.

Tennis has been hit by match-fixing allegations this year. In fact, the ITTA was founded following several complaints of rampant rigging in the sport.  In June, Russian player Yana Sizikowa was arrested for allegedly fixing a match during the 2020 French Open. She denies all charges of alleged misconduct.

According to nypost.com, match fixing is common at the lower levels of tennis as the prize money is far lower and players do not have sponsorships. Often the financial incentive for losing a match might be more than to continue competing for the prize money, it adds.

Wimbledon, a Grand Slam annual tournament, was held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London between June 28, 2021 to July 11, 2021.