Oliver Anderson (born 30 April 1998) is an Australian professional tennis player. Anderson was convicted and temporarily suspended from playing professional tennis due to being found guilty of match fixing his first round match at the 2016 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger.
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Residence | Brisbane, Australia |
| Born | 30 April 1998 Brisbane, Australia |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Wayne Arthurs |
| Prize money | $20,735 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 0-1 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 639 (11 July 2016) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | Q2 (2016) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1253 (17 October 2016) |
| Last updated on: 7 July 2017. | |
Anderson is best known for winning the 2016 Australian Open – Boys' singles title over Jurabek Karimov.[1] Anderson retired from tennis aged 20 in 1998, following a guilty charge of match fixing. Anderson returned to tennis in 2024.[2]
Tennis career
editAnderson made his professional debut at the age of 14 in March 2013 when he received a wildcard entry into an Australian futures tournament in his home state of Queensland.[citation needed] He would lose in the first round of both the singles and doubles tournaments. Anderson secured his first ranking point in September 2013 when he defeated Jay Andrijic in the first round of an Australian futures tournament held in Cairns. He continued to improve his ranking through 2014 and 2015 with several wins spread across the challengers tour and the futures circuit.
2016-2017
editTo begin 2016, Anderson received a qualifying wildcard into his hometown tournament – the Brisbane International. He would record two upset victories from a set down over the eighth seed Dennis Novikov and the fourth seed Tim Smyczek to qualify for his first ever ATP main draw tournament at the age of 17. He faced Croatian Ivan Dodig in the first round, losing 6–3, 6–2. Anderson was then given a wildcards into the 2016 Australian Open men's qualifying tournament and the junior boys' competition. He was lost in the second round of qualifying tournament but went on to win the junior singles title with a three set win over Uzbekistan's Jurabek Karimov in the final. This was Anderson's first junior grand slam title. Anderson didn't play again until May where he was eliminated in round one of qualifying for Busan and Seoul Challengers. Anderson had a further 4 months off for hip surgery returning to the ITF circuit in September. In October, Anderson was given a wildcard into the Traralgon Challenger, he lost in round 2 to John-Patrick Smith. Anderson ended the year with an ATP ranking of 736.
2017 Match-fixing scandal, suspension and retirement
editOn 5 January 2017, Anderson was charged with match-fixing his first round match at the 2016 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger in October 2016. Anderson was approached to tank the first set of his first round match against Australian Harrison Lombe. He lost the first set 4–6, but won the next two 6–0, 6–2.[3][4]
In May 2017, Anderson pleaded guilty to the match-fixing charge and was fined $500 by Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court, Victoria. This was followed by an Independent Hearing Officer who suspended Anderson competing for 19 months from the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Anderson immediately retired at the age of 20.[5][2]
2024: Return to tennis
editIn March 2024, returned to tennis, qualifying for the Mildura ITF $25k.[2]
Junior Grand Slam titles
editSingles: 1
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2016 | Australian Open | Hard |  Jurabek Karimov
|
6–2, 1–6, 6–1 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Australian Open: Oliver Anderson wins junior boys' final at Melbourne Park". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Return of Oliver Anderson". The First Serve. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Reigning Australian Open boys champion Oliver Anderson charged with match fixing". Sydney Morning Herald. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Australian junior Oliver Anderson on match-fixing charge, say reports". The Guardian. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "OLIVER ANDERSON TO FACE TENNIS DISCIPLINARY CHARGES". Tennis Integrity Unit. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
