French Tennis Player’s Ban Increased to Three Years After Appeal

A former French tennis player, Samuel Bensoussan, has had his suspension for match fixing increased to three years after his appeal backfired. Originally banned for one year and 11 months, Bensoussan was involved in fixing four matches.

The match-fixing activities were linked to a syndicate in Belgium led by Grigor Sargsyan. Reports from The Athletic and documents from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed that this syndicate managed to fix at least 375 matches and had around 1,500 conspirators.

Bensoussan, whose suspension began in May 2025, appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) alleging false accusations from former tennis player Mick Lescure involved him in the situation. Lescure was permanently banned in 2022 for match fixing.

The ITIA also called for a harsher penalty for Bensoussan, seeking a six-and-a-half-year suspension to align with other cases. However, the CAS dismissed Bensoussan’s appeal and, while rejecting the ITIA’s request, increased his ban to three years. The suspension will now end in May 2028.