Spanish player handed eight-year ban for match-fixing

Spanish tennis player Enrique Lopez Perez has been penalized with an eight-year ban from the sport for match-fixing.

The 29-year old, who reached a career-high singles ATP ranking of 158 in 2018, was found guilty of three separate instances in 2017, according to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) on Tuesday.

"The disciplinary case was heard by anti-corruption hearing officer Richard McLaren on 5 November 2020," the TIU said in a statement. "He found that Enrique Lopez Perez breached the rules of the Tennis Anti-corruption Programme three times at tournaments in 2017, with two further charges unproven."

Perez participated in tournaments in Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Pakistan during 2017. He was provisionally suspended in December 2019, and will not be able to attend or play in any sanctioned tennis event for the next eight years. Furthermore, the Spaniard was also fined £18,750.