The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) continues its fight for fraud-free tennis. Two days ago, the regulatory body announced the provisional suspensions of two tennis players who have committed a myriad of breaches.

The players in question are the American player Alexandra Riley and the Slovenian player Nastja Kolar. The two of them, the ITIA said, have breached the rules outlined in the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) 15 and 25 times respectively.

All of the breaches were recorded between 2015 and 2020. As a result of these TACP violations, the regulator said, Riley and Kolar have been provisionally suspended from the sport. As of March 14, 2023, the two players are unable to compete or even attend any sanctioned tennis events that are organized or recognized by the tennis governing bodies.

The decision was made by independent anti-corruption hearing officer Ian Mill KC who discovered the breaches. The ITIA noted that provisional suspension was granted under section G.4.a of the TACP 2023, which states the following:

In the event that the Covered Person is found liable of one or more of the charges against them and sanction is not determined at the same time as the decision on liability, the AHO, either of the AHO’s own volition or on an application by the ITIA, must impose a Provisional Suspension pending the final decision on sanction.

TACP excerpt

In due time, the ITIA will decide on the definitive sanctions to impose on Riley and Kolar.

ITIA Continues to Protect Tennis from Fraud

The ITIA, which was founded in 2021, remains committed to protecting professional tennis’ integrity from various violations such as illegal betting and match-fixing. Unfortunately, Riley and Kolar are not the only players to be sanctioned by the regulator in recent times.

In February, the ITIA presented Younes Rachidi with lifetime ban after uncovering a whopping 135 match-fixing violations. This was the highest breach count by a single player ever and demanded a strict response. Rachidi fixed matches alongside two fellow players who were also suspended from competing professionally for life.

This ruling followed the suspension of the French player Sherazad Refix. Luckily, Refix had breached the rules no more than two times and was banned for only four years.

In January, Mariska Venter, a 26-year-old wheelchair tennis player from South Africa, accepted temporary suspension after her doping probe turned positive. She will remain suspended until the matter is resolved.