Sport
  1. Home
  2. Sport
  3. Tennis
EXCLUSIVE

Reigning Australian Open boys champion Oliver Anderson charged with match fixing

Nino Bucci
  • 36 reading now

Reigning Australian Open boys champion Oliver Anderson has been charged with match fixing, in a corruption scandal set to send shockwaves through the tennis world only days before the start of the year's first grand slam.

The 18-year-old from Brisbane was charged on Thursday with fixing a match at the Traralgon Challenger tournament last October. Less than nine months earlier, he lifted the trophy as the winner of the Australian Open junior boys title at Melbourne Park.

Up Next

Federer at scintillating best in win over Gasquet

null
Video duration
00:50

More Tennis Videos

null
Video duration
01:06

Australian Open boys champion charged ...
null
Video duration
00:50

Federer at scintillating best in win over ...
null
Video duration
00:51

Murray: Enjoy having Federer around

null
Video duration
01:30

Brengle stuns Serena in Auckland
More videos

Australian Open boys champion charged with match fixing

Brisbane player Oliver Anderson has been charged with fixing a match at the Traralgon Challenger tournament last October. Sunrise, Channel Seven

Mr Anderson is coached by well-known former professional Wayne Arthurs, and is regarded as immensely talented.

A spokesman for the Anderson family said late on Thursday night: "Oliver is cooperating fully with authorities. He now awaits the legal process."

Related Content

Mr Arthurs declined to comment. Fairfax Media does not suggest he was involved in the alleged match-fixing in any way.

Other tennis figures expressed dismay at Mr Anderson's alleged conduct, saying that while his work ethic could be questioned, he had the potential to have a strong career as a professional.

Advertisement

"It's extremely disappointing," one well-known former professional said.

"I just don't know why he would have [allegedly] got involved in something like that. I didn't think he was that dumb."

Victoria Police sporting integrity intelligence unit detectives charged Mr Anderson on summons with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome after an investigation which also involved Latrobe Valley detectives and bookmakers. He will appear at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court on March 2.

It is alleged that Mr Anderson was approached to tank, or throw, the first set of his first round match, against another Australian, Harrison Lombe.

He lost the first set 4-6, but won the next two 6-0, 6-2.

Mr Anderson lost his next match at the $50,000 tournament, which was played by those on the lowest tier of professional tennis.

Fairfax Media has spoken to people who witnessed Mr Anderson's matches and did not consider anything about his play to be obviously unusual.

Another person who had been close to the 18-year-old said he had struggled at times with his love for the sport, but that he thought he could become a top-70 ranked player.

Mr Anderson had hip surgery last year, and did not play at the Australia Open wildcard event last month. He would not have been eligible to play this year in the boys competition, which has also been won by compatriots Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic.

Last year's Australian Open was rocked by revelations about the extent of match fixing in tennis, including that Victoria Police had questioned local tennis figures about matches which could be suspicious in the main draw of the tournament.

A mixed doubles match was then reported as possibly fixed after an analysis of unusual betting patterns.

But there has only been one previous investigation into tennis match fixing in Australia which resulted in criminal charges.

Tennis Australia integrity officials backed a new regime implemented last year to better detect corruption offences and inform players about the risks of organised crime.

"We have upped the ante...[but] it's disappointing, there's no doubt about it," Ann West, head of integrity and compliance, said.

"You would be naive to say it wasn't."

Tennis Australia integrity officer Peter Peterson said that increased resources would make a difference to reducing the number of players tempted by corruption, and that the organisation had improved its education for players, which is offered for 12-year-olds through to professionals.

"We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour. It's that simple."

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson said that since the sports integrity intelligence unit was established in 2013, it has cracked three significant sports corruption cases: the Southern Stars soccer case; a harness racing fix involving the high-profile Cramp racing team; and a tennis sting involving former professionals Nick Lindahl and Matthew Fox.

The Traralgon Challenger was also targeted in the Lindahl/Fox case.

Assistant Commissioner Paterson said that while the offences uncovered by the unit so far had involved lower-profile sports or lower-tier tournaments or leagues, it was important to stamp out corruption no matter where it occurred.

If a player had been corrupted at a lower level, organised crime figures could have leverage over them as their career progressed, he said.

"I'm not going to suggest it doesn't occur at more professional levels, in fact we know that it does.

"Match fixing is one of the fastest growing organised crime types across the world.

"In-play betting and individual sports...are the big, risky practices for us."

Assistant Commissioner Paterson said sports leagues and organisations had become better at sharing information with authorities and educating players to "target harden".

"You become aware of the signs of what to look for and what to do if you're approached on social media or via a knock on the hotel room door."