Argentine banned for match fixing

Argentinian Nicolas Kicker has been banned from tennis after being found guilty of match-fixing offences dating back to 2015.

Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker in action against Jordan Thompson at this year’s Australian Open

Nicolas Kicker was preparing for a practice session with Japanese star Kei Nishikori at Roland Garros yesterday when his shady past caught up with him.

The Argentinian, who had proven a thorn in the side of a couple of Australians in the past year, is now black-banned from tennis after being found guilty of match-fixing offences dating back to 2015.

The world No 84, who defeated Nick Kyrgios in Lyon a year ago, was due to play the French Open beginning tomorrow, but his name was absent when the draw was ­released.

A couple of hours later it ­became clear why.

The 25-year-old, who ousted Jordan Thompson in five sets in Melbourne in January en route to a third-round appearance at the Australian Open, has been banned indefinitely.

Given the seriousness of the ­offences, and the fact he refused to co-operate with officials, it is likely he will receive what will effectively amount to a life ban from the sport.

Suspicions related to a couple of notorious matches on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2015 were confirmed, with Kicker found guilty of fixing and other offences related to tournaments in Padova, Italy, and Baranquilla, Colombia.

Professional gamblers watching his matches against Duckhee Lee and Giovanni Lapentti noted something amiss when they picked up irregular betting patterns and also the manner of his play.

His finish to the Lapentti match, in particular, appeared suspicious with double faults and ­errors appearing contrived and ­occurring with regularity.

It took three years for the International Tennis Integrity Unit to institute a hearing against him, which occurred in Miami in March. In a finding published yesterday, Kicker was also found guilty of failing to co-operate with investigating officials as well as failing to alert them of a corrupt betting approach.

While Kicker awaits his penalty, the TIU has resolved to ban him from entering or competing in a sanctioned tournament.

His spot will be filled by a lucky loser, with Kicker missing out a guaranteed purse of almost $62,000 for those beaten in the first round, though it may well have been far more given his clay court nous and improvement in recent years.

Kicker’s case underlines the dangers for young players considering a quick fix to finance further travel or day-to-day costs associated with touring.

At the time of his offences, the Argentine was battling for a negligible amount of money on the ITF and Challenger circuits, where the majority of fixing occurs.

But having broken into the top 100 over the past year, he was earning significantly more money.

In the first five months of this year, Kicker had earned $355,000 of his $1.1 million in career prizemoney, including $142,500 for reaching the third round of the Australian Open.