TIU bans Australian Lindahl for 2013 match-fixing scandal

[January 10, 2017]  (Reuters) - Australian former tennis player Nick Lindahl has been banned for seven years and fined $35,000 for match-fixing in a 2013 tournament, the Tennis Integrity United (TIU) has said.

Two other players, Brandon Walkin and Isaac Frost, were also disciplined by the ITU, which is responsible for policing tennis.

"Although Mr Lindahl, 28, retired from the sport in 2013, today's decision prevents him from resuming playing professional tennis for the seven years of the ban," the TIU said in a statement.

"He is also prohibited from attending any tournament or event organized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport for that period," it added after a hearing held by independent anti-corruption hearing officer Richard H. McLaren.

In April last year, Lindahl avoid a jail term after pleading guilty to match-fixing charges relating to a game in 2013.

Walkin, 22, a singles player ranked 1,066, was given a six-month suspension after being found guilty of attempting to contrive the outcome of the event.

Australia's Nick Lindahl returns a shot against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 18, 2010. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz

 Frost, who failed to co-operate with TIU during the investigation, served a provisional ban between Oct. 2013 and Sept. 2014. McLaren decided no additional suspension or fine must be imposed on the 28-year-old.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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