Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The Belgian tennis player Yanina Wickmayer, a semi-finalist at this year's U.S. Open, has been handed a one-year ban for failing to comply with doping regulations.

Fellow Belgian Xavier Malisse has also been suspended for a year for a different doping offence according to the report on the website www.vtv.be.

The world number 18 Wickmayer was suspended by the Flemish Doping Tribunal (VDT) after falling foul of the "whereabouts rule" which states that players must notify their national doping agency of where they can be reached on a daily basis.

The report says Malisse, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, missed a drugs test.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which is responsible for doping controls in tennis, says it had not been informed of the suspensions while the women's WTA Tour says it was also unable to comment.

Wickmayer was competing in the Tournament of Champions in Bali this week and was scheduled to face Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues this weekend.