Sports court cuts French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt’s ban for betting on matches

CAS cuts Montcourt’s ban for betting on matches

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt’s suspension for betting on matches has been reduced from eight to five weeks.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday the 24-year-old Montcourt bet a total of $192 on 36 different tennis events, though not on his own matches or at tournaments where he was playing.

The CAS panel cites “the small amounts gambled (and) the absence of influence of the bets on the matches in question.”

The court ordered the 135th-ranked Montcourt to serve a ban of five weeks starting July 6, which would allow him to enter Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Montcourt appealed to CAS against the eight-week suspension imposed by the ATP Tour last August, which forced him to miss the U.S Open.