It has been reported that authroities are assessing irregular betting on a first-round match between Richard Bloomfield and Christophe Rochus at the Hall of Fame grass-court tournament in Newport, R.I.
Betfair reported that $1.5 million was wagered on the match, in which Bloomfield won 7-6 6-3.
Bloomfield, ranked No. 552, was rated even money against his 160th-ranked Belgian opponent. In the hours before the match, the odds on Bloomfield winning shortened to 1-4. After he won the first set, the odds shorted to 1-8.
“If people are willing to risk 4 pounds to win one, that is indicative of a substantial gamble,” Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said.
Notification of the irregular betting pattern was made to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an independent body created by the sport’s governing bodies to lead the fight against corruption.
It is standard procedure for the betting industry to share irregular activity on its markets with the TIU.
“It is not operational policy of the TIU to make any comment about an investigation that it may or may not be involved in,” TIU spokesman Mark Harrison told the AP.
Harrison was responding to a report in Britain’s Daily Mail on Friday that an investigation was to be launched into the betting on the Bloomfield-Rochus match.
The 27-year-old Bloomfield was caught up in a betting controversy in 2006, when his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq in the first round at Wimbledon was investigated following irregular patterns.
No conclusion was reached by authorities about the match. There is no suggestion Bloomfield is implicated in the irregular betting surrounding his victory over Rochus on Tuesday.
Well a few days ago we previewed the quarterfinals and then tipped a player in each match. I thought I would just quickly run through and see how we went.
Robin Soderling (23) vs Nikolay Davydenko (10) = We tipped Davydenko to come back from two sets to love down to win. Well we were right about one thing, Davydenko would lose the first two sets, but he never recovered. Wrong
Andy Murray (3) vs Fernando Gonzalez (12) = I thought an upset would happen here and I was right. Gonzalez pushed aside Murray in four sets. Right
Juan Martin Del Potro (5) vs Tommy Robredo (16) = I thought Robredo would really put all of his experience into this match, but he never got into the match at all, Del Potro winner. Wrong
Gael Monfils (11) vs Roger Federer (2) = Roger was always the favourite for this match and he didn’t disappoint. It was a great performance by Roger and its good to see him in the semi’s again. Right
Dinara Safina (1) vs Victoria Azarenka (9) = Safina is in great form at the moment and we tipped he to win this match as well, and she didnt disappoint. Safina wins in three sets, but after losing the first in which we knew Azarenka had to win to even be in the match. Right
Dominika Cibulkova (20) vs Maria Sharapova = I really thought Maria had a shot of winning this match in three sets on paper, but in real life tennis matches are a lot different. Maria got punished and tought how to play clay court tennis from Dominika. Wrong
Sorana Cirstea vs Samantha Stosur (30) = I thought that Stosur had a game that was too strong for Cirstea and I was right, plus I knew she would win in straight sets. Right
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7) vs Serena Williams (2) = Serena played some of the worst tennis I have seen her play in a very long time. It was like she had a brain cramp today on court. Kuznetsova played a very solid match but didn’t really control the match at all. Wrong
Well after all that we only got 50% right. The French Open is the main tournament all year in which upsets happen, and it is great to see that this year has live up to that expectation.
Who will be in the final for both singles? Well I think the Men’s final will be between Roger Federer and Robin Soderling. Women’s final will be between Dinara Safina and Samantha Stosur.
French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt‘s suspension for betting on matches has been reduced from eight to five weeks. The Associated Press report that the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday the 24-year-old Montcourt bet a total of $192 on 36 tennis events, though not on his own matches or at tournaments in which he was playing.
The CAS panel cites “the small amounts gambled [and] the absence of influence of the bets on the matches in question.”
The court ordered the 135th-ranked Montcourt to serve a ban of five weeks starting July 6, which would allow him to enter Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. This must be of great relief for Montcourt who doesn’t have any points to defend at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, so his chances of picking up points and moving even further up the rankings is high.
Russian tennis player Nikolay Davydenko was cleared by the ATP after a year-long betting investigation.
The ATP says it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Davydenko or Argentine player Martin Vassallo Arguello at their match in Poland in August 2007. The ATP says the case is now closed.
The probe centered on suspicious betting patterns during the match. Davydenko, then ranked No. 5, pulled out against his lowly ranked opponent in the third set citing a foot injury.
An online betting agency voided all wagers, citing an inordinate amount of money put on the match. Many bets came in for Arguello, even after he lost the first set.
