The tournament was the Albierto Mexicano Telcel Open played in Acapulco. The match involved Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank, two Argentinians who represent their country in Davis Cup and form a doubles partnership. Last year, they reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Chela began the week with a singles ranking of No.31 in the world, Schwank No.104.

Chela, the tournament eighth seed, had won all three of his matches against Schwank before. 

We present the following facts, without comment:

* Chela suddenly and inexplicably drifted from $1.50 to $3.50 on the Betfair exchange in the hours before the match. As a result, some bookmakers stopped taking bets on the match.

* Chela won the first set, 6-3, but was still being quoted as a $2.80 outsider at that point.

* When Chela led 5-1 in the second set, Schwank was still $10.00 in the betting.

* Chela called for a trainer and medical time out in the second set.

* Serving at 15-15 in the 10th game (leading 5-4), Chela double faulted then lost the game.

* When Chela was serving for the match in the second set, the Betfair odds were showing $1.90 for either player. Normally, you might expect a player in Chela's position to be a $1.05 favourite, or shorter, and Schwank to be $20.00, or longer.

* Chela then retired, citing injury, giving the match to his countryman 3-6, 6-5 (retd).

Most bookmakers in Australia only pay out on completed matches. If incomplete, they refund all bets.

Betfair and many other international bookmakers and betting exchanges pay out on matches that go beyond one set.

In their last match, in Houston last year during the US Men's Clay Court Championships, Schwank was fined $1,000 for 'erratic and unusual play' - or effectively not trying. He lost 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1 to Chela but said a back problem caused him to use numerous drop shots and lobs. The crowd booed him after he foot-faulted on match point.

Tennis has been blighted in recent years by speculation of fixed matches, even if the suspected corruption has been incredibly difficult to prove. A tennis Integrity Unit has been set up to try and root out any corruption.

Yesterday, tennis betting forums were flooded with comments from punters about the suspicious nature of the match, when Chela's odds drifted alarmingly before the match, when he was still rated an outsider despite taking the first set and then when he took a medical time out late in the match.

(Having said that, it is fair to say these forums do have their share of conspiracy theorists - especially when these punters lose their bets. It should also be pointed out that Chela had played a tortuous schedule in the past four weeks, and could well have been exhausted.) 

But contributors to menstennisforum and Betfair forum, to name two, were not having any of that. They were convinced the match had a bad whiff about it.

Bruce: 'wtf chela the higher ranked player, in form, 2-0 h2h, first set in the bag and he is not favourite???'

TonySporano: 'Market pricing Sh-wank as if he's Nadal'

Edy: 'but boy, this is so much more shameless than your usual...suspicious match.'

And Nathalia, tongue in cheek, puts it all in perspective: 'In brief: Chela got injured and exhausted when he was 5-2 at serve in the second and all the bookmakers knew about this fact a few hours in advance. I hope that's the version we can all agree on'.