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Tennis player banned for four years and 10 months after fixing matches for money
Reach Daily Express | March 31, 2026 11:39 PM CST

The International Tennis Integrity Agency has confirmed a four-year and 10-month ban for Serbian tennis player Mila Masic. The 28-year-old admitted to fixing four of her own matches, and to receiving payment for these fixes in 2024. Masic also admitted conspiring to commit corrupt offences, and failure to report corrupt approaches.

The former world No. 875 has also been fined £15,000 ($20,000), of which £3.77k ($5k) is suspended. Masic accepted this agreed sanction with the ITIA, and waived her right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.

Masic has been provisionally suspended since December 24, 2025. Time served during this period will be credited towards the suspension. This means the Serb's ban will end on October 23, 2030, subject to the repayment of outstanding fines.

The ITIA also announced suspensions for another tennis player, and for an official. German player Jana Vanik has been banned for one year and four months, and fined £1.1k ($1.5k) for failing to co-operate with an ITIA investigation.

The body said that the 23-year-old "refused to co-operate with the ITIA after a parallel investigation uncovered potential breaches of the TACP." A former world No. 1257, Vanik was also charged with failing to report knowledge or suspicion of active corruption.

Vanik was charged in February of this year. After she did not respond to the ITIA charges, the German was sanctioned starting on March 21. Vanik's suspension will end on July 20, 2027, also subject to repayment of outstanding fines.

Assylbek Kassym, an accredited national-level tennis official from Kazakhstan, who also worked in administration and tournament support, has received a one-year suspension and a £7.5k ($10k) fine, of which £5k ($7k) is suspended, also after failing to co-operate with an ITIA investigation.

The ITIA said they "uncovered evidence that Kassym had made corrupt approaches to players in 2025, resulting in an investigation". The official was initially responsive to ITIA inquiries but then "withdrew from communications with ITIA investigators, before ceasing to engage with the process entirely."

Despite multiple attempts the ITIA made to contact Kassym, the official did not respond to the notice of charge. Kassym's sanction entered into effect on March 19, and ends on March 18, 2027, subject to repayment of outstanding fines.

While banned, all three individuals cannot play in, coach at, officiate, or attend any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, ITF, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon, the USTA, or any national association. All three were sanctioned under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.

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