WTA Players Report Gun-Image Threats to Fix Matches as Security Tightens

Overview

• Lucrezia Stefanini said a WhatsApp message before Indian Wells qualifying threatened her and her family and showed a gun, then she alerted the WTA and played under added protection, losing 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 to Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva.
• Panna Udvardy published screenshots of messages with family photos and a gun image before a WTA 125 Antalya match, contacted WTA officials and her consulate, and later filed a police complaint in Turkey.
• Tournament organizers and the WTA increased on-site security for the players after the threats were reported and notified relevant authorities.
• The WTA is reviewing whether attackers accessed personal details through a breach of its systems, while officials assess possible ties to betting operations seeking to influence results.
• Italian federation president Angelo Binaghi denounced the threats as criminal and urged legal action, and reports note at least one other player recently received similar messages.