This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker has been found guilty of match-fixing and “other offences”, the Tennis Integrity Unit has announced.

Kicker, ranked 84 in the world, has yet to be punished but has been suspended from professional tennis after the findings of an independent anti-corruption hearing officer.

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The 25-year-old faces sanctions in connection with two ATP Challenger matches he played in during separate tournaments in 2015.

“Argentinian tennis player Nicolas Kicker has been found guilty of match-fixing and other offences under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program,” read a TIU statement.

“Mr Kicker, 25, was found guilty of contriving the outcome of a match at the ATP Challenger tournament in Padova, Italy, in June 2015 and a match at the ATP Challenger tournament in Baranquilla, Colombia, in September 2015.

“He was also found guilty of failing to report a corrupt approach and of not co-operating with a TIU investigation into the allegations made against him.”

Independent anti-corruption officer Jane Mulcahy QC considered the case at a hearing in Miami on March 20 following an investigation and details of his sanctions will be made public at a later date, the TIU said.

“Until that time Mr Kicker will not be granted credentials to enter or compete in any professional tennis event sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis,” the statement added.

Edmund draws De Minaur in French Open first-round match

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kyle Edmund goes into the French Open as Britain’s main hope for success after a superb start to the year. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Rafael Nadal, reaching for his 11th French Open title, plays the dangerous but erratic Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov first-up in the 117th championship, while Britain’s main hope, Kyle Edmund, inside the safety net of the top 16 for the first time, has a tricky opener against the young Australian wildcard Alex de Minaur.

If Edmund, who got to the third round last year, is to forge on to a semi-final against the defending champion, he might have to cope with the challenges of Marin Cilic, who beat him in the Australian semi-finals, Fabio Fognini or the wounded Juan Martin del Potro.

Huge interest was trained on 36-year-old Serena Williams, returning to grand slam tennis nearly a year and a half after winning the 2017 Australian Open while seven weeks pregnant. Unseeded – controversially in the eyes of many – the 23-slam American plays Kristyna Pliskova, in the same quarter as the reigning Wimbledon title-holder, Garbiñe Muguruza, who plays former French champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova (drawn against a qualifier) and her opponent’s sister, Karolina, the sixth seed. Williams and Sharapova could meet in the fourth round.

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Jo Konta, who found some form in Rome last week, meets the 23-year-old Russian Yulia Putintseva, ranked 93 in the world, for the first time. Venus Williams is in their quarter, along with the defending champion, Jelena Ostapenko, who plays Kateryna Kozlova.

Heather Watson, ranked 86 in the world and struggling, plays France’s Oceane Dodin in the same quarter as the world No 1 Simona Halep, who starts against Alison Riske.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who beat John Isner to reach the Lyons semis on Thursday, plays the German Peter Gojowczyk, and has former French champion Stan Wawrinka and No 2 Alexander Zverev blocking his way in the bottom quarter of the draw.

The landscape of the men’s game has changed dramatically since a year ago: no Andy Murray or Roger Federer, with Novak Djokovic showing glimpses of his old form in Rome – and starting against one of the 12 qualifiers.

The 2017 final was the most one-sided since Nadal beat David Ferrer in straight sets five years ago. Wawrinka – who beat Murray in the semis - took a mere six games off him in just over two hours.

As the draw was being made in Paris on Thursday – in the evening, for the first time – the Swiss, seeded third, was bagelled in the second of two losing sets against Marton Fucsovics, the Hungarian world No 60 and former world No 1 junior, in the closing quarter-final in Geneva.