Russian doubles ace Yana Sizikova ARRESTED over match-fixing suspicions just hours after appearing at French Open – reports

Russian doubles specialist Yana Sizikova has been detained in Paris as part of an investigation into suspicions of match-fixing at last year’s French Open, according to reports.

Moscow-born Sizikova, 26, is in the French capital for this year’s tournament at Roland-Garros, where she and doubles partner Ekaterina Alexandrova bowed out in the first round on Thursday.

According to AFP, Sizikova was later arrested as part of a probe into possible corruption and fraud surrounding a match from last year’s tournament.

On that occasion, Sizikova and her then-partner, America’s Madison Brengle, were defeated by Romanian duo Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig, also in the first round. 

Abnormally high betting activity on the match was registered in countries outside of France, which aroused suspicions and was reported to law enforcement.

According to reports, two unusual double-faults by Sizikova in the fifth game of the second set draw particular attention.

Sizikova has been placed in custody, Reuters confirmed, although officials from the French Tennis Federation did not elaborate on the reasons.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – an independent body charged with dealing with corruption – also said it would not comment.

"We have not received any documents (regarding the case), so it’s difficult to make an assessment of what has happened," Shamil Tarpischev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation, was quoted as saying.

Sizikova reached a career-high doubles ranking of 89 in the world last March, while her highest WTA singles rating remains a lowly 336, which she reached back in June of 2016.    

Sizikova won the ladies’ doubles title alongside fellow Russian Anastasia Potapova at Lausanne in Switzerland in 2019, her biggest senior accolade to date.