Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

The British-based BuzzFeed News and the BBC caused tennis to be plunged into controversy on the eve of the Australian Open with a first report on match-fixing allegations. Now a follow-up program has featured Italian prosecutor Roberto di Martino who says more than two dozen top tennis players should be investigated for possible links to betting rings.

The list of names have reportedly appeared in evidence seized from gamblers suspected of fixing matches and include two players who have been ranked in the world’s top 20.

Previously just two Italian players, Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali, have been investigated and charged but Di Martino says others should be investigated.

Di Martino has been conducting a two-year inquiry and has obtained Internet chat logs and recordings of phone calls between players and gamblers.

While refusing to reveal the identity of the players, di Martino said: “Interestingly, they are not so-called second-tier tennis players, but also players of some importance.”

He also criticized the Tennis Integrity Unit for failing to act on his findings. The TIU responded: “All information received from the public prosecutor is being fully and thoroughly assessed, verified and, where appropriate, investigated under the powers of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.”

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.