Dolgopolov shrugs off gambling row to reach last 16

ALEXANDR Dolgopolov shrugged off the gambling controversy hanging over him to reach the fourth round of the US Open, matching his best New York showing in the process.

The 64th-ranked Ukrainian needed only 82 minutes to dispatch 52nd-ranked Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-0, 6-4, and reach his first Grand Slam last 16 since the 2011 US Open.

But his achievements have been overshadowed by concerns over suspicious gambling patterns around his 6-3, 6-3 loss last week to 114th-ranked Thiago Monteiro in the first round at Winston-Salem Open.

It was the Brazilian’s first ATP hardcourt triumph and came without Dolgolpolov managing a breakpoint chance, a poor showing he blamed on heavy training for the US Open that left him drained and tired.

Dolgopolov denied involved in any match-fix plot and said upon arriving in New York he went to the Tennis Integrity Unit, which investigates match-fix and betting issues.

“That’s why we have the TIU. If there’s some strange matches, they investigate it,” Dolgopolov said.

“I wasn’t happy with what’s going on in the press, so I was the first one to come there and try to give them all the information so they can investigate it faster.

The New York Times reported analysts tracking betting patterns found an unusually high amount of money being wagered against Dolgopolov on Monteiro, who went from underdog to favourite when the match began as a result, the quick shift prompting bookmakers to suspend bets on the match.

They also found dubious betting patterns the same day in a WTA New Haven qualifying loss by Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko, according to the report. — AFP