Tennis ACT boss Ross Triffitt is confident a "proactive approach" will ensure the Canberra Challenger doesn't become a target of match-fixing.
Reigning Australian Open boys champion Oliver Anderson was on Thursday 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.
Tennis ACT chief executive Ross Triffitt is confident they don't need any new anti-corruption measures at the Canberra Challenger.Credit:Rohan Thomson
The 18-year-old from Brisbane was charged with fixing a match at the Traralgon Challenger tournament last October. Eight months earlier, he lifted the trophy as the winner of the Australian Open junior boys' title at Melbourne Park.
Anderson is coached by well-known former professional Wayne Arthurs, and is regarded as immensely talented. Neither Anderson nor his family responded to requests for comment, while Arthurs declined to comment.
Fairfax Media does not suggest Arthurs was involved in the alleged match-fixing in any way.
The independent review was due to be completed in March, but Triffitt didn't expect Tennis Australia would need to change too much, having already set up an integrity unit.
Triffitt said there hadn't been any incidents in any of the tournaments since the return of elite tennis to the Canberra Tennis Centre, except for a couple of minor cases of a handful of people innocently using their laptop or phones to work while watching the tennis.
He was confident no extra measures were needed this year, despite the events in Victoria.
Triffitt felt Futures tournaments — the level below Challengers — were more susceptible to corruption.
"It doesn't change anything for us. We have the procedures in place, we have all the staff training in place," he said.
"We're aware these things do happen and we're confident that what we have in place will minimise any opportunities for that kind of activity to happen in the first instance.
"I don't see it changing anything in our approach to the event. I think we've got a very well-controlled venue with a great centre-court set-up and diligent volunteers. I'm confident we won't run into any issues.
"It's just our pro-active approach to ensure those opportunities aren't presenting themselves for people to try and take advantage of. We're probably over-cautious given the concerns in that area."
The Canberra International used to be a WTA tournament, but it was lost to the ACT because the facilities weren't up to scratch.
It opened the way for the birth of the Hobart International on the tennis calendar in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
Since then the CTC has undergone a $27 million revamp and Triffitt said if an opening came up on the tennis calender then there was a chance for the Canberra Challenger to be upgraded.
There's only a limited number of licences available to hold tournaments, which would mean other events in the Aussie summer — like the Hobart, Brisbane or Sydney internationals — or internationally would need to change for Canberra to get upgraded.
"Last year this event came on the calendar at the very last minute and it was really due to a change in the size of the draws in Auckland and in Sydney," Triffitt said.
"It's been very successful. The venue's proven to be very successful ... it's certainly not out of the question our event gets upgraded at some point to WTA or ATP 250 [level], but the way the event's going at the moment it's proven to be very successful at that Challenger level.
"We're getting fantastic fields and we're getting really good crowds as well. It's one of those things where currently if it's not broke, don't fix it.
"But if things were to change in Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney all of those could have a knock-on effect that may see Canberra's event upgraded."
Qualifying for the Canberra Challenger will begin on Saturday, with the main draw to get under way on Monday.
It will be the fledgling tournament's best field, which will include Australian Davis Cup hero Sam Groth and 12 of the top-100 men in the world.
David Polkinghorne covers the Canberra Raiders, local rugby league, Canberra Cavalry, racing and cycling, along with every other sport, for The Canberra Times.