A report alleging widespread match-fixing in tennis rocked the Australian Open as the season's first Grand Slam tournament began under a cloud today. The BBC and BuzzFeed claimed 16 top-50 players in the past decade, including Grand Slam champions, had been repeatedly suspected of fixing matches for betting syndicates. Three suspect matches were at Wimbledon, and eight of the players under suspicion were due to take to the courts for the Australian Open in Melbourne, the report claimed.None of the "core group" of 16 players had faced sanctions, added the report, which was based on secret files leaked by a group of anonymous whistle-blowers. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Chris Kermode said the timing of the report was "disappointing" and rejected any suggestion that match-fixing had been covered up. He told reporters in Melbourne that while the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, ATP will investigate any new information.The match-fixing report cast a shadow over the Australian Open, where 128 matches were scheduled on day one with defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both in action. BuzzFeed said players were targeted in hotel rooms at major tournaments and offered $50,000 or more to fix matches for the betting syndicates. The report said the probe uncovered syndicates in Russia and Italy making hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on matches investigators thought to be fixed.