"Halep Cleared for Immediate Tennis Return After Doping Ban Reduction"

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced Simona Halep's four-year doping ban to nine months, allowing the former world number one to immediately return to competition. The 32-year-old Romanian, who had been suspended since October 2022 for two separate anti-doping rule violations, expressed her eagerness to get back on the tour. Halep's ban was cut after she tested positive for roxadustat at the U.S. Open and faced an additional doping offense due to irregularities in her athlete biological passport. The CAS ruling also dismissed the ABP charge and emphasized the need for sensible reform in the anti-doping system, as acknowledged by the Professional Tennis Players Association.