A French tennis player, Samuel Bensoussan, has had his ban from the sport for match-fixing extended to three years following an appeal, as confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Wednesday.

Initially, Bensoussan, aged 34, received a ban of one year and 11 months for his involvement in fixing singles and doubles matches in lower-tier tournaments. His illicit activities were linked to an organized crime syndicate based in Belgium.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) increased the ban, highlighting that investigations revealed a criminal organization that affected at least 181 players worldwide and manipulated a minimum of 375 tennis matches. The leader of this syndicate is currently serving a five-year prison sentence due to a related case in Belgium.

Bensoussan's career peaked with a ranking of World No 405 in June 2018. He had appealed to CAS to overturn his original sanction, while the ITIA had advocated for a lengthier ban of six-and-a-half years.

Ultimately, the three judges at CAS chose not to require Bensoussan to repay the €1,000 (£850) that investigators claimed he received for fixing a match in 2018.