Argentine player Facundo Bagnis begins voluntary provisional doping suspension

LONDON (AP) — Argentine tennis player Facundo Bagnis chose to begin a voluntary provisional suspension in an anti-doping case after testing positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a substance in the category of diuretics and masking agents, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Thursday.

The 35-year-old Bagnis' test came while he was competing in qualifying at the US Open in August. His loss in the first round was his sixth defeat in a row in Grand Slam qualifying matches.

He reached a career-high No. 55 in the ATP rankings in 2016.

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Bagnis was notified of the result this month and chose to begin a provisional suspension last week. If he ends up being banned, the provisional suspension will count as time served.

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In a statement shared to social media, Bagnis strongly denied taking any banned substance, and said he’s working with a team of lawyers and a medical toxicologist to argue a case of possible cross-contamination.

“I want to be clear, I’ve never knowingly taken anything prohibited, that’s why I’m confident in my innocence and that the truth will come to light and reveal a fair outcome,” Bagnis wrote on Instagram, calling the situation ‘one of the worst moments of my professional career.’

“The news has taken me completely by surprise,” he added. “Since the beginning, I have cooperated with the ITIA and been completely and totally transparent in order to clear everything up as quickly as possible.

“Additionally, I have chosen to accept a voluntary provisional suspension in order to dedicate my full attention to this process and to demonstrate that I have nothing to hide.”

Additional reporting by Tennis.com Staff.