It has been confirmed by the Russian Embassy in France that world No.101 doubles player Yana Sizikova was arrested on Thursday evening as part of an investigation into match-fixing at the French Open.
The AFP news agency quoted a police source as saying the Russian player was detailed following treatment she received in Paris after her first round match. It is understood that police took Sizikova to a nearby facility and searched her hotel room. Alexander Makogonov, who is the press secretary of the Russian Embassy in Paris, confirmed that officials ‘are aware’ of the arrest and are currently in contact with authorities, as well as Sizikova’s family.
It is understood that the arrest is in relation to an investigation that was launched last year at the Grand Slam. The match in question took place on September 31st where Sizikova and her partner Madison Brengle lost to Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig.
It was one particular game which alarmed authorities. During the fifth game of the second set where Sizikova was serving and got broken to love. It was during that particular moment where betting companies noticed an unusual high amount of money being placed on the match. At 2-2 Sizikova started and ended with double faults. Between those two points, she also stumbled when trying to retrieve a shot near the baseline. German publication welt.de quoted sources as saying that ‘several hundred thousand euros’ was placed on the match with the focus being on that game.
The vice-president of the Russian Tennis Federation, Alexei Selivanenko, has issued a statement following the arrest. He says the federation is yet to receive any information about the ongoing situation.
“We currently do not have specific information from primary sources. It is our understanding that the investigation is being carried out by French law enforcement agencies. We have no documents yet. Most likely, this is a continuation of a story that began last year,” Selivaneko told championat.ru.
The Russian consulate has been quoted as saying that Sizikova could spend up to 72 hours in detention. Her former doubles partner Brengle is not under suspension and has not been arrested.
At this year’s French Open, Sizikova and her new partner Ekaterina Alexandrova lost 1-6, 1-6 to Australian pair Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic in under an hour.
