Last Sunday (January 24), Bolesławiec-born tennis player Łukasz Kubot and Czech player Andrea Hlavackova played a match at the Australian Open. They defeated the Spaniards: Lara Arruabarrena and David Marrero 6–0, 6–3. As reported by Sport.tvp.pl, Two bookmakers—Sportsbet and Pinnacle Sports—noted that several surprisingly large sums had been wagered on the Polish and Czech players’ victory, considering that this was a match in the early stages of the competition in this event. Both companies suspended betting on the outcome of the match and notified the police.
According to a representative of one of the bookmakers, matches in Grand Slam mixed doubles usually do not attract much interest when it comes to betting on their outcomes. This time, however, the amounts were exceptionally high. A total of $25,000 was wagered on the Polish player’s match, compared with $2,000 on three other matches in that round.
Both sides of the match have distanced themselves from suspicions that it was fixed. One of the Spaniards attributed the defeat to a knee injury, while Łukasz Kubot stated that he and Andrea won because they gave 100%. Meanwhile, the Australian Federation issued a statement saying that it would continue cooperating with the police and with the organization established to combat corruption in tennis. The Polish-Czech mixed doubles team ended its run on Monday in the round of 16.
More about the case can be read on: www.sport.tvp.pl