Match-fixing has become a serious problem in tennis in recent years. First reported back in 2003, it generally takes place in lower-level tournaments today. There is no place for match-fixing in any sport, and strict punishments are handed out to players who are found guilty. The issue has surfaced once again in tennis, as another match-fixing case has emerged—this time involving a Russian player.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has handed Alana Tuayeva a suspension of three years and nine months for fixing two of her matches at the ITF World Tennis Tour level during 2023 and 2024. Additionally, she has been fined $9,000 for the offense and a $21,000 fine on the condition that she does not commit another offense. The player has admitted to all the charges against her.

“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirms today that Russian tennis player Alana Tuayeva has accepted a suspension of three years and nine months, along with a fine of $30,000 (of which $21,000 is suspended), after admitting to breaching the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP),” the ITIA stated in a press release.

Notably, the 26-year-old had been provisionally suspended on December 19 last year and will now be serving a ban that will go on till September 18, 2029, provided that she pays the required fine. During this period, she will not be able to play, attend, or coach any event sanctioned or authorized by the ITIA, including ATP, WTA, ITF tournaments, and all four Grand Slams as well.

Tuayeva, whose ranking peaked at No. 1282 in the world when it comes to women’s singles, made her last appearance at the W15 Maanshan in July last year. She was suspended earlier in January under section F.3.b.i.4 of the anti-corruption program. This kind of suspension is only issued when the athlete is likely to have committed a serious offense.

“There is a likelihood that the Covered Person has committed a Corruption Offense which is above Category C2 of the Sanctioning Guidelines and in the absence of a Provisional Suspension, the integrity of tennis would be undermined, and the harm resulting from the absence of a Provisional Suspension outweighs the Hardship of the Provisional Suspension on the Covered Person,” the section reads.

While the ITIA takes an offense like match-fixing very seriously, scandals like these still keep on happening from time to time.

The recent match-fixing scandals in tennis

Earlier in February 2026, the ITIA had handed a two-month ban to Argentina’s Hernán Casanova for violating the illegal betting and integrity rules. He was also handed a fine of $2,000 and a $1,500 fine on the condition that he does not commit the offense again. Casanova admitted that he had placed bets on tennis matches between 2023 and 2025.

He isn’t the only Argentine to have committed the shameful act recently. Just days after Casanova got suspended, Leonardo Aboian got banned for six years and nine months for match-fixing. He had admitted to 30 breaches of the anti-corruption program and was fined $40,000, with $25,000 of that amount suspended.

However, it was Thailand’s Jatuporn Na Lamphun who faced arguably the strictest punishment from the ITIA for match-fixing. Back in September 2025, he was found guilty of being involved in the fixing of 22 encounters in 2023 and 2024. In addition, he also refused to cooperate with the ITIA in the investigation. As a result, he was banned from tennis for life and was also handed a fine of $115,000 for his corrupt practices. Notably, the player had been given an 18-month suspension for similar reasons in 2016.

Three major match-fixing offenses have already been reported in 2026 so far, and it doesn’t look like these scandals are going to stop anytime soon. This really begs the question as to what the officials need to do in order to reduce these corrupt incidents.