Tennis Pro Suspected of Throwing Matches

[Harvey]

Ranked No. 4 in the world and otherwise enjoying the best two years of his career, Nikolay Davydenko on Monday played his first-round match surrounded by recent reports of suspicious gambling action and his own future date with tour investigators. On stage briefly for a 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 victory over 19-year-old American Jesse Levine, Davydenko then dismissed rumors of his involvement in betting as “stupid.”

The voiding of some $7 million in wagers by a British-based Internet company on an obscure Aug. 2 match in Poland triggered the speculation of a possible fix. Davydenko, a 26-year-old Russian who last year was a surprise semifinalist at the U.S. Open, defaulted that Aug. 2 match in the third set, citing a foot injury. Heavy betting continued to back underdog Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina even after Davydenko won the first set.