Tennis player Gabashvili accepts 20-month doping ban

LONDON (AP) — Russian tennis player Teymuraz Gabashvili has accepted a 20-month ban after failing a doping test, the International Tennis Federation said Friday.

Gabashvili tested positive at a Challenger-level tournament in Kazakhstan in June for the diuretic furosemide, which has legitimate medical uses but is banned in sports because it can be used to mask the presence of other substances.

The ruling says Gabashvili used furosemide only once "and would not have obtained any competitive advantage from that use in competitions taking place after that date."

The 36-year-old Gabashvili reached a career-high ranking of 43rd in 2016 and was briefly the top-ranked men's player from Russia. His best result at a Grand Slam event was reaching the fourth round at the French Open in 2010 and 2015. His current ranking is 270th.

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