Yana Sizikova arrested at French Open in connection with match-fixing investigation – CBS Sports

Yana Sizikova, a Russian tennis player and doubles specialist competing in the French Open, was arrested in Paris on Thursday as part of a police investigation into a match-fixing scandal. Sizikova, 26, is implicated in an investigation dating back to last October concerning sports corruption and organized gang fraud centering around last year’s French Open, according to The Guardian.

Bookmakers had issued alerts for unusual betting patterns during one of Sizikova’s matches last year, The Guardian reported, as hundreds of thousands of euros were reportedly wagered on a break of serve at 2-2 in set two. Sizikova was accountable for three of the points conceded during her game, including two double-faults, in a 7-6 loss.

After losing her first-round doubles match 6-1 on Thursday, Sizikova was arrested while leaving a massage session. If found guilty, Sizikova could face up to five years in prison and a €500,000 fine.

According to Samuel Petrequin of the Associated Press, Sizikova was released from custody on Friday and has not been formally charged after questioning, though she remains under investigation. Speaking to the media, Sizikova’s lawyer Frederic Belot claimed that Sizikova was “extremely shocked” by the situation and wishes to file a complaint for defamation.

“She was placed in custody like a criminal. She says she is innocent and did not want me to assist her during her questioning because she considers herself like a victim,” Belot said.

Sizikova is currently ranked 101th in the world in doubles and 765th in singles, and had spent much of her career competing in lower-level tournaments in International Tennis Federation competition. The French police unit that opened the case, which specializes in betting fraud and match-fixing cases, has previously worked with authorities in Belgium investigating suspicious matches at the lower levels of professional tennis.