The following result last Tuesday at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Classic at Newport may come as a surprise to some:

J Levine (USA) d [5] J Isner (USA) 63 61

Both players are promising American youngsters, but the big-serving fifth seed John Isner was expected to come through comfortably enough. However, he only managed four games in the entire match and Levine won comfortably.

Surprising, perhaps? Definitely, but it could easily be written off as a bad day at the office for Isner.

But if we delve deeper and observe the betting patterns here, we can see that someone - or a group of people - pulled off a major coup.

Courtsiders use discreet equipment to relay scores from the crowd to an accomplice in front of a computer, thus typically giving them the advantage that they are one or two seconds ahead of the rest of the market. In this instance, the official internet ATP scoreboard was relaying the scores and people all over the world were betting accordingly on Betfair - there was no coverage on TV or radio.

For reasons unknown, the scoreboard had Levine and Isner the wrong way round, and as a result, punters on Betfair thought that all was going to plan when they saw Isner go a set and 5-1 up. However, suspicions arose as Isner was available at prices up to 1.17 when serving out the match, when in reality he should have been 1.01 to lay, and Levine should have been teetering at 999/1.

After the match was declared as over on the scoreboard, the Betfair market failed to suspend on time, and lays totaling£200,000 appeared on Isner between 1.01 and 1.04. Someone giving away 'free money’, surely? Risking £100 for £3 profit, £1,000 for £30 and so on, many punters failed to see the risk.

The match was soon settled with Betfair paying out on John Isner as the winner - in fact, Betfair’s own scoreboard was showing Isner as the winner, and so in theory, punters would have been justified in feeling rather smug.

However, apprehension grew as conspiracy theories were being bandied about on various forums, and this air of unease was confirmed when Betfair reversed their payout and re-settled the market - with Jesse Levine as the winner.

Carnage ensued as seething punters demanded the match be deemed void, but to no avail. The scoreboard had been wrong all along, and innocent Betfair users had been unashamedly duped as courtsiders pulled of a coup of previously unseen proportions, by manipulating the market as soon as they realised that the scoreboard was wrong.

Well over £800,000 was traded during the match, with most of the proceeds going straight to the courtsiders’ pockets, as they effectively backed the obvious winner in a two-horse race at prices upwards of 21.0, for huge profits.

Serious doubts will now be cast over in-play betting on tennis. Remote events with no TV or radio coverage pave the path for courtsiders to carry on with such activity, which will continue until some form of legislation is brought in. However, this looks highly unlikely considering the reluctance of the ATP and WTA to crack down on such activities. As it stands, courtsiding is not illegal per se, but it is widely seen to be prohibited nonetheless, with perpetrators in the stands with PDA’s often receiving a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Overall, it is abundantly clear that considering the potential huge rewards, the act of courtsiding will keep flourishing, until the competition from other courtsiders increases to such an extent that it is no longer a worthwhile exercise.

Slave trade rife in Manchester?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s summer transfer saga took yet another twist, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter referring to the incident as an example of “modern slavery”.

In an interview with Sky News, Blatter said: “I'm always in favour of protecting the player and if the player wants to leave let him leave.

“If the player wants to play somewhere else, then a solution should be found because if he stays in a club where he does not feel comfortable to play then it’s not good for the player and for the club.

“I think in football there’s too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere.”

If Mr Blatter feels that Ronaldo is being subjected to any form of slavery, he may want to pay Ronaldo a visit at his private beach-side property in Portugal, where he has no doubt been sipping on cocktails and sunbathing while watching this story unfold, occasionally peering down from his aviators just to make sure that the tabloids still think he is ‘in vogue’.

It would seem unlikely that the Portuguese forward will be able manage to keep this charade going for much longer. After all, he is treating both Real Madrid and Manchester United with utter disdain, and by playing each club off one another, he is certainly playing with fire. With Real Madrid’s shameless and relentless courting of him over the summer, it is forgivable for Ronaldo to have a clouded mind.

However, he must show some form of respect for fans of the Red Devils, who showed him no end of support after his antics in World Cup 2006 against England. They may not be so forgiving if he prolongs this affair.

Dragging on like a Sunday afternoon Eastenders Omnibus, this drama is getting painfully tedious and it might not be long before all hell breaks loose as one party shows their hand.

Cricketer in doping scandal

The ‘whiter than white’ image of the Indian Premier League is under doubt as it was revealed that an unnamed player has tested positive for an illicit substance.

Considering that the IPL is likely to soon become a billion dollar industry in its own right, sponsors are unlikely to be impressed by any potential scandal which may tarnish their own corporate image, and as a result it will be interesting to see how IPL kingpin Lalit Modi handles the situation in what could potentially be a public relations disaster.

In a media release, the ICC said it will “be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI” and the player “retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA code.”

Rumours are rife as speculation grows surrounding the identity of the alleged perpetrator. There is no doubt that eyes will justifiably be on Mohammed Asif, who played for the Delhi Daredevils franchise during the IPL, and was subsequently detained in Dubai on suspected possession of hashish on his way home from the tournament. Asif is still awaiting his fate although a resolution is expected within the next two weeks.

Considering previous scandals involving Pakistan - and there is no doubt that they are far ahead of the pack in this field - it would be a welcomed surprise if this latest incident did not end in a whitewash.

Play of the Week

This week, the award must go to veteran Frenchman Fabrice Santoro for a remarkable performance in his defeat of home favourite Vincent Spadea at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Classic in Rhode Island.
During a high quality match, ‘The Magician’ played several mind-boggling shots, culminating in a remarkable ‘hot dog’ reverse lob from the back of the court, over the head of Spadea.

Santoro picked up the title for the second year in a row with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Prakash Amritraj of India in the final.