Female tennis stars receive scary match-fixing threats at Indian Wells Open

Two female tennis players competing at the Indian Wells Open have received threatening messages targeting their families regarding match-fixing.

The creepy scenario involves Italian player Lucrezia Stefanini and Hungarian Panna Udvardy. The stories first came to light this week during the major California tennis event.

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Stefanini, currently ranked 138th in the world, detailed the horrifying situation in an Instagram video this week during the Indian Wells Open. The Italian stated Tuesday that her family received threats linked to her upcoming matches.

Creeps send female tennis pros photos of guns, threaten families if they doesn’t lose matches, terrifying messages reveal https://t.co/cSlnuh2Msjpic.twitter.com/qHrZuyCLgT

— New York Post (@nypost) March 7, 2026

“I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday’s match,” Stefanini stated (in Italian), according to the Associated Press. “They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun.”

Stefanini ultimately lost her qualifying match Monday in California during a three-set affair. However, the scary situation resulted in her having to contact the WTA and requiring added security for herself and family.

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Meanwhile, Udvardy explained similar events on Friday when she detailed WhatsApp messages threatening with gun violence and photos of her family.

“The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family,” Udvardy said in an Instagram post. “They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun.”

Udvardy’s experience stems from a recent tournament, the Antalya WTA 125 held in Turkey. Growing concerns have even hit the men’s side of the sport as well with Italian player Mattia Belucci reporting his own experiences to the ATP Tour.

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