Italian tennis player admits to match-fixing
Italian tennis player Daniele Bracciali has partially admitted to match-fixing, according to an Associated Press report.
The admission came during a hearing last week in which "he admitted a few things and he denied a few things," investigator Roberto Di Matino said.
A five-time ATP tour event doubles champion, Bracciali, 36, was being investigated by Italian authorities for comments made during a 2007 Skype conversation with his accountant.
His doubles partner, Potito Starace, is also under investigation. Starace, 33, is ranked 166th on the singles tour; Braccialli focuses on doubles. The pair reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2012.
According to the AP,
In a July 2007 conversation on Skype between Bracciali and an accountant who was arrested in 2011, Bracciali discussed arranging a match in Newport, Rhode Island, against American player Scoville Jenkins. Jenkins won 6-2, 6-1.
In 2011, an owner of a betting parlor who was later arrested was heard saying Starace agreed to sell the final of a tournament in Casablanca. Pablo Andujar of Spain won the final 6-1, 6-2.
This is not Bracciali or Starace's first rule-breaking incident. They are among five Italian players suspended during the 2007-2008 ATP tour season in relation ot betting.
Investigators first spotted the conversations while looking into separate match-fixing allegations related to soccer.
