ITF suspends low-ranked Brazilian for 2 years for doping

LONDON (AP) The International Tennis Federation says that a 20-year-old Brazilian ranked outside the top 1,000 has been suspended for two years after failing a doping test.

The ITF posted its decision online Wednesday in the case of Marcela Pereira Alves Valle, saying she tested positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine at a tournament in Spain in September. She is 1,117th in the rankings this week.

The sport's governing body also announced that it ''recognizes and respects'' the Romanian anti-doping agency's one-year ban of 16-year-old Elena Madalina Capraru for methandienone, an anabolic steroid, and its lifetime ban of Laurentiu Basarab for administering methandienone to a minor. Basarab is a former player who is listed on the ITF website as Capraru's coach.