Chinese tennis player Pang Renlong has been handed a 12-year ban and a substantial $110,000 fine following a widespread match-fixing scandal.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Friday that the 25-year-old admitted to fixing five of his own matches in lower-tier events.
He also confessed to making “corrupt approaches” to other players in 11 additional matches, six of which were subsequently fixed.
The match-fixing activities occurred between May and September 2024, spanning various ITF tournaments held in Turkey, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
Pang, whose career-high ranking reached 1,316th last year, also participated in qualifying for the ATP Challenger Jinan Open in China during this period. The ITIA did not disclose the specific matches involved in the scheme.
Pang’s suspension is set to last until 2036, incorporating time already served under a provisional ban. Of the substantial fine, $70,000 has been suspended.
The ruling prohibits him from playing, coaching, or attending any events sanctioned by major tennis organisations or national federations.
This development follows the ITIA’s recent announcement of a 20-year ban for French player Quentin Folliot, who was implicated in a similar match-fixing syndicate and was the sixth player to be sanctioned in connection with the group.
Pang’s ban has been announced just weeks before the 2026 season is due to get underway.
The first major of the year, the Australian Open, will begin on 12 January, with Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys looking to retain the singles titles they won at the start of this year.
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz went on to win two grand slam titles each in 2025, while four different women shared the female prizes.
Coco Gauff won the French Open for the first time, before Iga Swiatek broke her Wimbledon duck and Aryna Sabalenka retained her US Open crown.
