Karatantcheva banned over doping offence

Women’s world number 41 Sesil Karatantcheva has been banned for two years after being found guilty of a doping offence.

The independent Anti-Doping Tribunal found the Bulgarian 16-year-old had committed a doping offence after samples she provided on May 31 at Roland Garros and another out of competition test in Tokyo on July 5 tested positive for the prohibited steroid nandrolone.

The tribunal rejected the player’s defences but determined the two offences would be treated as one single first offence for sanctioning purposes.

As a result she forfeited ranking points and prize money accrued from the French Open, where she reached the quarter-finals, and any events since.

Karatantcheva has three weeks to appeal.