Simona Halep faces 2nd doping charge over biological passport; had failed drug test at US Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been accused of a second doping offense by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The ITIA said the new charge announced Friday is separate from the provisional suspension Halep received last year after failing a drug test during the U.S. Open in August. The charge involves Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport, which provides a baseline reading of substances in an athlete’s body. Halep is a 31-year-old from Romania who reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017. She won Wimbledon in 2019 by beating Serena Williams in the final. Halep says she is a “victim of contamination.”