Roland Garros qualifying match under investigation for match-fixing

A first-round match at this week’s Roland Garros qualifying tournament is being looked into after an abnormally high number of bets was placed on it according to L'Equipe.

L’Equipe has cited several police sources saying that the clash between Bernabé Zapata Miralles and Dudi Sela has shown irregular betting patterns. Miralles defeated his Israeli rival 6-3, 6-0, in less than an hour. It is understood that the focus of the investigation is on the second set which lasted less than 20 minutes. A total of 32 points were played in that set with Sela only winning seven of those.

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According to the source, an unusually high number of bets were placed on the match in three different countries – Cyprus, Ukraine and Armenia. 37-year-old Sela is currently ranked outside the world’s top 400 but managed to get into the qualifying draw with the use of a protected ranking. He has only played in two singles tournaments so far this season with the other being at the Australian Open where he also lost in the first round of qualifying.

Sela confirmed in January that 2022 would be his last as a professional. A former top 30 player, he has reached the final of two ATP events in China (2008) and Atlanta (2014). He also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2009 and has beaten three top 10 players during his career.

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