ATP set to examine irregular betting patterns

The Association of Tennis Professionals has launched an investigation into irregular betting patterns surrounding Thursday's match between Russia's Nikolai Davydenko and Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello at the Poland Open in Sopot.

Betfair, which has cancelled all bets made on the match, alerted the ATP after noting an unlikely sequence of wagers during the second-round encounter. Davydenko, the world No 4, had started the match at the equivalent of 1-5 on (a £5 stake on the Russian would have won just £1), but after he had won the first set it was possible to back him at around 4-1 against (a £1 stake would have won £4). Vassallo Arguello, the world No 87, won the second set 6-3 and was leading 2-1 in the third when Davydenko retired with an injury to his left foot after treatment from a trainer.

"Having whipped the other guy 6-2 in the first set you would have expected those odds to have shortened, but they drifted to just over 4-1 against," Robin Marks, Betfair's head of media, said yesterday. "Concerns had been voiced on our forum before the match began that there was going to be something wrong."

Davydenko said he had been in a lot of pain. "I may have done even more damage by trying to finish the match," the Russian said after his retirement. "Since the beginning of Monday I've had a problem with my left toes. Today that became a problem with my foot."

Betfair, a betting exchange which enables punters to bet with one another rather than with a bookmaker, employs a "fraud and integrity" team of 40 people to monitor betting patterns. It started to take particular notice of the match after a surprisingly large number of bets on Vassallo Arguello after his first set loss. A total of more than $7.3m (£3.58m) was wagered on the match, more than double what Betfair would have expected.

The decision to void all bets was unprecedented for a tennis match. "We think the market quite clearly wasn't fair," Betfair's managing director, Mark Davis, said. "The prices seemed very odd."

Davydenko, 26, is one of the game's most consistent performers and was the defending champion at Sopot. However he has had a moderate year, punctuated by injury, and since Wimbledon had lost at the first hurdle in three successive tournaments, to Gaël Monfils (then the world No 57) in Gstaad, to Florent Serra (No 81) in Amersfoort and to Gilles Simon (No 50) in Umag. Vassallo Arguello, 27, has never reached a singles final on the main tour, though he won the doubles event in Acapulco earlier this year. The two men had never played each other before.

Kris Dent, the ATP spokesman, said he could not comment on an individual case but stressed that the organisation took the issue of gambling in tennis very seriously. Asked how extensive the problem was, he replied: "I don't believe it's endemic, but there is always reason to remain vigilant as a governing body and to ensure that the players and their associates understand the rules around this area."

The ATP has strict rules forbidding players and their entourage from betting on tennis or from colluding with others. Under its code of conduct, it can impose large fines and lengthy suspensions. Betfair and a number of other betting organisations have agreements under which they alert the ATP to any irregular betting patterns. Betfair has highlighted matches in the past which have raised concerns, though no serious evidence of corruption has ever been found.

The International Tennis Federation, which is responsible for the four Grand Slam tournaments, Davis Cup and Fed Cup, has similar agreements in place with betting companies.

Interesting? Click here to explore further