Algerian Aymen Ikhlef is the latest tennis player to receive a lifetime ban for match-fixing. According to Dzevad Mesic of Tennis World on Monday, Ikhlef was not only found guilty of match-fixing, but soliciting other players not to give their best effort, and not co-ooperating with the Tennis Integrity Unit during their investigation.
Ikhlef reached a career-high ranking of 1739 in 2015. He had only won $484 of career prize money in singles, and $376 in doubles for $860 overall during a time period from 2014 to 2017.
At the International Tennis Federation level, Ikhlef only won one career singles match. It came in the first round of a futures event in Annaba, Algeria, where he beat Sagar Ahuja of India, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3.
At the doubles level, Ikhlef won two career matches. He won with fellow Algerian Ahmed Ouadane, as they defeated Algerians Mohamed-Racym Rahim and Khalil Adel Radjaa 4-6, 6-0, 10-6 in the first round of Oran, Algeria, in May of 2016. Ikhlef then won with Majed Kilani of Tunisia, as they defeated Sergio Barranco of Spain, and Marco Di Prima of Italy in December of 2017, in Tunisia. However, this victory is a little more suspicious, given that Ikhlef was banned for match-fixing. Ikhlef and Kilani won this particular match via a walkover.
It should be noted that Ikhlef was also involved in a match in 2012 in Algeria, where he and his opponent, Said Sahtali of Algeria, lost via a walkover. Ikhlef and Sahtali lost to Sergio Perez-Perez and Adam Sanjujo Hermida of Spain.
Ikhlef is the second player banned for life for match-fixing in December. The other was Stanislav Poplavskyy of Ukraine.
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