Russia's Krotiouk gets life ban for match-fixing

Russian player Sergei Krotiouk was on Thursday banned from tennis for life for match-fixing, the third man in the last two years to receive the sanction.

Krotiouk, 34, and ranked at a lowly 789 in the world having risen to a career-high 486 in 2009, was also fined $60,000 after being found guilty of 41 violations, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) revealed.

"The violations for which he has been disciplined occurred during 2012 and 2013," said TIU statement.

"The life ban applies with immediate effect and means that Mr Krotiouk is not eligible to participate in any tournament or competition organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of professional tennis from the date of this statement."

Krotiouk spent all of his career playing on the second and third tier Challenger and Futures circuits and last year appeared in tournaments in Russia, India as well as Kazakhstan.

His biggest pay cheque was just $860 for reaching the secound round of a Challenger event in Penza, Russia, in July.

Life bans in the last two years have also been handed out to Serbia's David Savic, a former world number 363, and Austria's Daniel Koellerer, who once rose to 55 in the world and reached the third round of the US Open in 2009.