The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has issued a severe 12-year ban to Chinese tennis professional Pang Renlong for his central role in a match-fixing conspiracy. The 25-year-old has also been fined a substantial $110,000.
Details of the Match-Fixing Offences
Pang admitted to the ITIA that he deliberately fixed the outcome of five of his own matches in lower-tier International Tennis Federation (ITF) events. His corrupt activities extended further, with the player confessing to making "corrupt approaches" to fellow competitors concerning a further 11 matches. Of those, six were subsequently manipulated.
The illicit scheme took place over a concentrated period between May and September 2024. The corrupted tournaments were held across multiple locations, including Turkey, Hong Kong, and mainland China. During this same timeframe, Pang, whose career-high ATP ranking was 1,316, also competed in qualifying for the ATP Challenger event in Jinan, China.
Lengthy Suspension and Financial Penalty
The suspension, which is backdated to include time under a provisional ban, will keep Pang out of the sport until 2036. The ruling comprehensively bars him from playing, coaching, or even attending any tennis events sanctioned by the sport's major governing bodies or national associations.
Of the total $110,000 fine levied, $70,000 is suspended. This decision arrives shortly after the ITIA handed a 20-year ban to French player Quentin Folliot earlier in December. Folliot was implicated in the same syndicate, marking him as the sixth player sanctioned in connection with the group.
A Crackdown Ahead of the New Season
This significant ban is announced just weeks before the start of the 2026 tennis season. The sporting calendar will commence with the Australian Open on 12 January, where Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys will aim to defend their singles titles.
The announcement casts a shadow but follows a remarkable 2025 season where Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz each claimed two Grand Slam titles. In the women's game, four different players split the majors: Coco Gauff secured her first French Open, Iga Swiatek triumphed at Wimbledon, and Aryna Sabalenka retained her US Open crown.
