Date:28/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/28/stories/2007102857451900.htm

Sport - Sports : General

Paris Indoors under betting scrutiny

PARIS: Betting on the Paris ATP Indoor Masters tournament, which begins on Sunday, will be highly scrutinised following recent match-fixing allegations in the sport.

French betting operator Francais des Jeux (FDJ) will be monitoring betting activity during the tournament to identify any abnormalities.

The move comes following irregular betting on a match which Russian World No. four Nikolay Davydenko lost to unheralded Martin Vassallo Arguello at Sopot in August, despite taking the first set.

More than 10 times the regular amount bet on such a match were placed, the majority of which was wagered on Arguello, leading internet betting site Betfair to suspend pay-outs on the match pending an investigation.

Davydenko has since come under the spotlight again earlier this week when he was fined $2,000 for not trying hard enough during his shock defeat to Croatian qualifier Marin Cilic at St. Petersburg.

Having played marvellously during the first set, his form suddenly deserted him in the decider as he made numerous unforced errors. He is allegedly being investigated by the ATP over his Sopot defeat. — Agencies