French tennis player Quentin Folliot has been banned from the sport for 20 years and fined $ 70,000 after being found guilty of match-fixing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Thursday.

The ITIA further ordered Folliot to repay more than $ 44,000 in “corrupt payments” linked to 27 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

His extensive suspension is set to conclude in May 2044, contingent on the full repayment of outstanding fines, with time already served under a provisional ban in May 2024 being credited.

During this period of ineligibility, Folliot is strictly prohibited from participating in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by ITIA members or any national association.

The agency’s investigation revealed that the 26-year-old was a “central figure in a network of players operating on behalf of a match-fixing syndicate.”

Folliot is the sixth individual to face sanctions as a result of this probe, following cases involving Jaimee Floyd-Angele, Paul Valsecchi, Luc Fomba, Lucas Bouquet, and Enzo Rimoli.

Folliot, who reached a career-high ranking of world No 488 in 2022, had denied 30 charges concerning 11 tennis matches played between 2022 and 2024, eight of which he personally competed in.

The charges encompassed a range of offences, including contriving match outcomes, accepting money for not giving best efforts for betting purposes, offering bribes to other players to fix matches, providing inside information, conspiracy to corrupt, failing to cooperate with an ITIA investigation, and destroying evidence.

A remote hearing in October, overseen by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Amani Khalifa, upheld 27 of the 30 charges, relating to 10 of the 11 matches.

Three specific charges from a 2024 doubles match – provision of inside information, failure to report a corrupt approach, and contriving the outcome – were dismissed.

In her written decision from 1 December, Khalifa characterised Folliot as “a vector for a wider criminal syndicate, actively recruiting other players and attempting to embed corruption more deeply into the professional tours.”

Aggravating factors, such as Folliot’s deliberate obstruction of the ITIA investigation, were also considered in determining the sanction.

The ITIA operates as an independent body dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of professional tennis events.