Argentine Kicker gets six-year suspension for match-fixing

[June 20, 2018]    (Reuters) - Argentine tennis player Nicolas Kicker has been suspended for six years and fined $25,000 by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) after being found guilty of match-fixing and other offences.

Nicolas Kicker of Argentina hits a shot against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. REUTERS/Edgar Su

The 25-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 78 in June 2017, was found guilty of attempting to fix two ATP Challenger matches in Italy and Colombia in 2015.

He also failed to co-operate with the TIU's investigation.

"Argentinian tennis player Nicolas Kicker has been suspended for six years and fined $25,000 for committing match-fixing offences under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program," the TIU said in a statement on Tuesday.

Kicker's sentence has been backdated to May, when he was found guilty by the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, and half of his sentence is suspended, meaning the Argentine can return to the sport in May 2021.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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