Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Friday 22 March 2019

Venus Williams tosses the ball to serve at the Miami Open tennis
tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Associated Press
3-time champ Venus
Williams wins opening

match at Miami Open

In this May 28, 2016 file photo, a player’s shadow is pictured as he returns the ball during the
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) and Williams played in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris.
— Three-time tournament stadium. Associated Press
champion Venus Williams Whitney Osuigwe, a
won her opening match 16-year-old qualifier from Growing match-fixing probe in
Thursday at the new site of Bradenton, Florida, earned
ing Dalila Jakupovic 7-5, by beating Mari Osaka, tennis snares more players
her first WTA Tour victory
the Miami Open by beat-
6-3. 6-2, 6-4. Osaka is the sister
Williams won the tourna- of 2018 champion Naomi By JOHN LEICESTER AP spread tentacles to more der the radar of gambling
ment in 1998, 1999 and Osaka. Sports Writer than a half-dozen coun- watchdogs. The Belgian
2001 when it was played No. 3-seeded Petra Kvitova PARIS (AP) — French police tries, including the United investigator said evidence
on Key Biscayne. The event won her opening match by have questioned another States. Belgian authorities collected so far suggests
moved this year to the Mi- beating Maria Sakkari 6-1, batch of tennis players in say they’ve requested as- the syndicate knew other
ami Dolphins’ complex, 6-4.q a growing investigation sistance from the FBI, as well match-fixers in Spain but
into a match-fixing syndi- as counterparts in Egypt, they weren’t working to-
cate suspected of paying Slovakia, Bulgaria, the gether. Another investiga-
out hundreds of thousands Netherlands and Germany. tor said several players who
of dollars to fix low-level This week’s additional de- took money from the syn-
matches, judicial officials tentions were first reported dicate told the French po-
said Thursday. Thursday by French sports lice during questioning that
Seven French players were daily L’Equipe. Officials they did so because prize
taken into custody this didn’t identify the players. monies at low-level tourna-
week and later released, A Belgian investigator said ments are too small to pay
taking the total number five of the French play- their expenses. Players told
questioned in France so far ers questioned so far have the police that they often
to 17, the officials said. An admitted to taking money saw the so-called Maestro
initial batch of four players from the syndicate to fix at such tournaments, work-
was first questioned in Jan- matches, and that one ing to recruit other accom-
uary . The officials spoke on player believed to have plices, and they described
condition of anonymity be- fixed about two dozen him as friendly and non-
In this Friday, March 15, 2019 file photo, Spain’s Rafael Nadal at cause they aren’t autho- matches confessed to threatening, the investiga-
the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, in Indian Wells, Calif. rized to publicly discuss the police that he pocketed tor said.
Associated Press investigation. 30,000 euros ($ 34,000). So far, France has the big-
Nadal to return from The probe is being led The number of players sus- gest number of players

knee injury on Monte by authorities in Belgium, pected of involvement questioned in the probe.
continues to grow. Belgian The first four were named
where the syndicate’s sus-
Carlo Masters clay pected ringleader, an Ar- investigators, who have by investigators as Jules
menian, is based. Belgian been
through Okala, 21; Mick Lescure,
pouring
authorities say Grigor Sarg- phone records and other 25; Yannick Thivant, 32;
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal at Monte Carlo from 2005- syan remains in custody in evidence, believe they and Jerome Inzerillo, 29.
is expected to make his re- 13 — the most consecutive his home, monitored with have now identified 137 None operated in the high-
turn from a knee injury at wins at a tournament by an electronic bracelet. players suspected of fixing est spheres of tennis. The
the Monte Carlo Masters, any man or woman. Investigators say corrupt- or attempted fixing. The career-best singles ranking
after being included in the Last Saturday, the second- ed players bought off by syndicate allegedly paid of any of them was 354,
official list of players on ranked Nadal withdrew the fixers knew Sargsyan 500 to 3,000 euros ($570 to reached by Inzerillo in 2012.
Thursday. from his semifinal at Indian as “Maestro.” The mas- $3,400) for fixed matches, L’Equipe said it interviewed
Tournament organizers an- Wells against longtime ri- sive scheme, organized sets or games. Police say Inzerillo, accompanied by
nounced the line-up for val Roger Federer after via encrypted messaging the syndicate employed his lawyer, this week and
the clay-court tournament feeling pain in his trouble- and involving dozens of mules, people hired for a that he told the newspa-
in Paris. Nadal has won it a some right knee during the low-ranked players in small few dollars to place bets per that he had never
record 11 times and held quarterfinal against Karen tournaments with little prize on fixed matches that were been approached to fix a
a 46-match winning streak Khachanov.q money, is believed to have small enough to slip un- match.q