Tennis: Russian player banned for life

Andrey Kumantsov. Photo courtesy of solopos.com

Russian player Andrey Kumantsov has been banned from tennis for life after being found guilty of multiple match-fixing and gambling offences between 2010 and 2013, AFP reports according to The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

A TIU statement said that 27-year-old Kumantsov had been found guilty of 12 such charges after an investigation and a hearing held in London on June 2.

"The lifetime ban applies with immediate effect and means that Mr Kumantsov is not eligible to participate in or attend any tournament or competition organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of professional tennis from the date of this statement," the TIU statement said.

Kumantsov, who is described as being inactive on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website, reached a career-high world ranking of 261 in September 2009.