Chinese tennis player gets 9-month ban in match-fixing case

Chinese tennis player Baoluo Zheng has been banned for nine months after admitting that he attempted to fix a match, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said.

"The 21-year-old player approached an opponent and offered money in return for deliberately losing a match at a tournament in Egypt in October 2022," the agency said in a statement.

Baoluo, whose career-high ranking is No. 525 in doubles, was also fined $5,000 though $2,000 is suspended. He was provisionally suspended on Oct. 27 after having played in a tournament in Sharm El Sheikh.

The ITIA said the case was handled under an "agreed sanction" framework, allowing for a sanction to be handed down "upon admission of guilt, without the need for a hearing."

The agency said Baoluo admitted to violating three sections of the sport's anti-corruption rules. The suspension extends to July 26.