ITF website communicated that the American player Ashley Kratzer has been temporarily suspended pursuant to Article 8.3.1 (c) of the Tennis Anti-Doping 2020 Program pending the determination of the accusation against her in a hearing pursuant to the article 8 of the Program.

The 20-year-old, ranked 480th in the world, provided a urine sample on 27 January 2020 during her participation in the WTA in Newport Beach. That sample was sent to the accredited laboratory of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal, Canada for analysis and it was discovered that it contained GHRP-6.

This substance is in category S2 of the list prohibited by WADA of 2020 (peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetic substances), and therefore it is also prohibited by the program. Positive tests for unspecified substances result in a mandatory temporary suspension.

The following is the ITF suspension pertaining to the announcement “Ashley Kratzer has been provisionally suspended under Article 8.3.1(c) of the 2020 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the “Programme”), pending determination of the charge against her at a full hearing pursuant to Article 8 of the Programme.

Ms. Kratzer, a 20-year-old player from the United States of America, provided a urine sample on 27 January 2020 in association with her participation in the WTA Newport Beach event, played in Newport Beach, USA from 27 January to 2 February 2020.

That sample was sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain GHRP-6. GHRP-6 is a Non-Specified substance, which is prohibited under category S2 of the 2020 WADA Prohibited List (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics), and therefore is also prohibited under the Programme.

Positive tests for Non-Specified Substances carry a mandatory Provisional Suspension. On 18 March 2020, Ms. Kratzer was charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample) and was Provisionally Suspended with effect from 28 March 2020.

Ms. Kratzer had (and retains) the right to apply to the Chair of the Independent Tribunal convened to hear her case why the Provisional Suspension should not be imposed but has chosen not to exercise that right to date.”