sports betting integrity body, ESSA, recorded 27 cases of suspicious betting during the first quarter of 2017, with tennis accounting for almost half of those.

With 12 instances of suspicious bets, tennis was by far the most investigated sport, making 45% of the quarterly total. The remaining 55% of cases were split between: football (four cases), volleyball (four), snooker (two) and one each for boxing, handball and ice hockey.

Reviewing the integrity report, ESSA Chairman Mike O’Kane, stated: “The figures for Q1 follow a similar trend to previous reports. We know that tennis, in particular, has been working hard to address this situation.

“In addressing this issue at any level, there must be a clear understanding that well-regulated betting products, in themselves, neither create nor support match-fixing. That illicit activity is a result of corrupt sportspeople and criminals seeking to defraud betting operators,” O’Kane concluded.

This is the ninth consecutive quarter tennis has topped suspicious betting alerts, with the Tennis Integrity Unit also admitting in January “concern” following its first annual report.