CAS clears French tennis player Richard Gasquet of doping charge involving cocaine

Gasquet wins CAS court ruling, avoids tennis ban

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — French tennis player Richard Gasquet has won another court ruling to avoid a ban after testing positive for cocaine.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation, which wanted Gasquet banned up to two years.

The court accepted Gasquet’s claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing a woman in a Miami nightclub hours after withdrawing injured from a tournament in March.

The 23-year-old Gasquet served a 2½-month suspension before an ITF tribunal ruled he was not to blame.

CAS said the suspension should not count as a doping offense on Gasquet’s record.