Argentine player Román Burruchaga and Spanish player Nikolás Sánchez Izquierdo received serious death threats from gamblers during the Rosario Challenger tournament in Argentina. The incidents, linked to betting pressures, led to police involvement and enhanced security. Despite the intimidation, both players competed in their matches amid growing concerns over abuse in tennis.
The Rosario Challenger, a $225,000 ATP event, became the epicenter of alarming betting-related threats in early February 2026. Argentine world No. 118 Román Burruchaga reported receiving intimidating WhatsApp messages from a foreign number before his semifinal against Taiwan's Chun-Hsin Tseng. The messages, linked to gamblers seeking to influence the outcome, demanded he deliberately lose and included direct threats to him and his family.
One message read: “You son of a b****, today you must lose against the Chinese player.” Another escalated: “We have enough guns to silence you and your family. Don’t get smart. Execute well, lose without winning a set, and everything will stop there. Otherwise, I promise you won’t leave Rosario.” The threats also contained personal family information and a photo of a firearm. Burruchaga filed a complaint at the 17th Police Station in Santa Fe, prompting immediate security for him and reinforced measures at the club. The Prosecutor's Office is investigating, analyzing screenshots and materials, though the senders remain unidentified.
Undeterred, Burruchaga won his semifinal 6-3, 6-3 but lost the final to Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-2, 6-3.
Earlier in the tournament, 26-year-old Spanish player Nikolás Sánchez Izquierdo faced similar intimidation before his match against Argentina's Valerio Aboian, a lucky loser. Messages from a Rosario area code warned him to lose, threatening consequences including knowledge of his family's location and potential kidnapping. He reported to the ITF and police, leading to a Public Ministry investigation. Security concerns delayed the match by nearly two hours; it was played behind closed doors, with Aboian winning 7-5, 6-4. Sánchez Izquierdo withdrew from doubles and shared on Instagram: “For years, I have endured verbal abuse on social media... Given the seriousness of the recent threats received, starting today, I will have zero tolerance and report any type of excessive messages that show a lack of respect or threaten me or my family.”
These cases echo recent incidents, such as Elina Svitolina's August 2025 report of death wishes from gamblers and Katie Boulter's description of such threats as “the norm” earlier that year. The rising frequency underscores pressure on tennis authorities to combat betting-related abuse.
