Canas Is Suspended Two Years for Positive Test

French Open quarterfinalist Guillermo Canas of Argentina was hit with a two-year suspension Monday by the ATP for testing positive for a prohibited diuretic. Diuretics are banned in and out of competition as possible masking agents.

Canas is the fourth Argentine on the men’s tennis tour in recent years to be suspended for a banned substance, but his penalty was far more harsh than the ones handed to Juan Ignacio Chela, Mariano Puerta and Guillermo Coria.

Canas is 27, so this could mean the end of his playing career at an elite level. He will also be required to repay $276,000 in prize money.

He tested positive at a clay-court tournament at Acapulco, Mexico, in February. His case was heard by an independent tribunal in New York last month, and Canas, in testimony, said that he had taken medicine for a sore throat and flu-like symptoms during the Mexican event.

But the diuretic he tested positive for is HCT, hydrochlorothiazide, which is used to treat high blood pressure.

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-- Lisa Dillman