The fight against match-fixing added a new, forceful chapter. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced a very harsh sanction against Chinese tennis player Pang Renlong, who was suspended for 12 years after his direct and attempted involvement in fixing more than twenty matches was proven.
In turn, the 25-year-old player also received a 110,000-dollar fine, although 70,000 were suspended. According to details provided by the organization itself, Pang admitted to having fixed at least five matches and to having contacted other professional tennis players on up to 17 occasions with illegal proposals to manipulate results.
The investigation determined that those efforts resulted in at least six matches being effectively corrupted, a volume that led ITIA to impose one of the most severe sanctions in recent years. Pang, whose best ranking was 1,316th in the world in 2024, won't be able to compete, coach, or even attend tournaments authorized by the ATP, ITF, or other national federations until November 6, 2036, when he will be 37 years old.
