The Chilean tennis player Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman tried to appeal the lifetime ban penalty which he received from the Tennis Integrity Unit in 2019. Today the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that the tennis pro’s appeal was dismissed, leaving the lifetime ban penalty unchanged.
Chilean Tennis Player Appeal Dismissed by CAS
It was back in March 2019 when the Chilean tennis player Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman received a lifetime ban from professional tennis after he was found guilty of match-fixing and associated offenses. The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which is now known as the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) deemed that the former tennis pro breached multiple sections of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
The Chilean tennis player tried to appeal the decision, but today the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) revealed that the appeal was dismissed. As a result of the appeal dismissal, CAS revealed that the original sanction of a lifetime ban remains unchanged.
The Tennis Pro Was Found Guilty of Breaching Multiple TACP Sections
The TACP breaches of the former Chilean tennis pro relate to an attempt to contrive the outcome of an ATP Challenger match in Meerbusch, Germany back in August 2016. Back then, the pro offered €1,000 to a player to lose a set.
Furthermore, the player was also found guilty of contriving the singles draw of the ITF F27 Futures tournament in Antalya, Turkey, which was played back in July 2016. TIU found that the former pro purchased a wild card to enter the singles competition. Mr. Alvarez-Guzman also had the intention to purchase a wild card for the doubles competition, which did not happen, however, it was still counted as corruption offense.
Based on its investigation, TIU concluded that Mr. Alvarez-Guzman breached TACP Sections: D.1.d, D.1.e, and D.1.g. According to the ATP records, Mr. Alvarez-Guzman’s highest single ranking was 1050 in July 2010 and he achieved his highest doubles ranking of 672 in August 2014. However, in light of the breaches which the TIU found and the zero-tolerance policy, the player received a lifetime ban from professional tennis.