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Simona Halep Free To Return After Four-Year Doping Ban Reduced By CAS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday reduced the four-year doping ban imposed on Romania's former world number one Simona Halep to nine months, which have already been served. The 32-year-old was suspended for four years last September by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after two separate doping infractions the previous year. However, after Tuesday's CAS ruling she is now free to resume her career immediately. "Throughout this long and difficult process, I have maintained my belief that the truth would eventually come out, and that a just decision would be reached, because I am and always have been a clean athlete," Halep said in a statement. "My faith in the process was tested by the scandalous accusations that were leveled against me, and by the seemingly unlimited resources that were aligned against me. But in the end, the truth prevailed, even if it took much longer than I wish it had."

Simona Halep free to resume career after four-year doping ban cut to nine months

Simona Halep is free to resume her career after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her doping ban from four years to nine months.

Prague Masters: R Praggnanandhaa Crushes Nodirbek Abdusattarov To Be Joint Second

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated overnight sole leader Nodirbek Abdusattarov of Uzbekistan to stake his claim for the top honours at the Prague Masters chess tournament in Prague. Winning with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa came within striking distance of the sole leader in the ten-player round-robin event that still has three rounds remaining. Things worked out even better for Praggnanandhaa as the second-placed Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran went down to Nguyen Thai Dai Van of the Czech Republic.