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Two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep has been cleared for an immediate return to tennis after sport's highest court accepted she was not entirely at fault for her positive doping test at the 2022 US Open.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted the allegation of suspected doping cheating from the 32-year-old Romanian, whose career has been on hold for more than a year.
Three CAS judges ruled Halep had "on the balance of probabilities" showed her positive test for a banned blood-boosting substance was unintentional and caused by a contaminated supplement.
Halep's four-year ban was cut to just nine months and, applied retroactively, expired last July.
"I cannot wait to return to the tour," Halep said in a statement released by her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, who noted she now has a lawsuit against the supplement maker.
"This ordeal has been a testament to resilience, and the triumph of truth is a bittersweet vindication that, albeit delayed, is immensely gratifying," Halep wrote on Instagram.
"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my legal team, whose steadfast faith and exceptional dedication have been instrumental in navigating through these turbulent times.
"Equally, my sponsors, loyal fans, and some commendable competitors have been my pillars of strength, offering unwavering support and solidarity."
Men's world number one Novak Djokovic replied "the truth prevailed", while the account for prominent California tournament Indian Wells said: "See you next year."
It is not known how quickly Halep can or will return to the tour, but she has said playing the Olympic Games in Paris, where she won her first major in 2018, is her "dream".
"I know there are not big chances for this, but I'm dreaming of this because Paris is my dream city," the 2008 junior Roland Garros champion told Euronews months ago.
"It will be amazing to be back on court no matter what … because that's where I belong."
The two-time grand slam winner hailed her victory against "scandalous accusations" aimed at her and what she called the "seemingly unlimited resources" of tennis authorities who prosecuted her.
"In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering belief in the integrity of the truth and in the principles of justice has been my beacon," she wrote on Instagram.
"Despite facing daunting accusations and formidable opposition, my spirit remained buoyant, anchored in my unwavering conviction of being a clean athlete."
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that banned her last year asked CAS to impose an even longer and likely career-ending sanction of up to six years.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said in a statement they respected the CAS result and the right of athletes to appeal in anti-doping cases.
The CAS judges also awarded Halep 20,000 Swiss francs ($A35,000) towards her legal fees from the ITIA, although Halep will also forfeit the prize money from her first-round loss at the 2022 US Open where she tested positive.
Halep, who won the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon titles, has not played since she tested positive for the banned blood-booster roxadustat in New York two years ago.
It can help produce more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping product favoured by endurance athletes.
Halep said after filing her latest, and partially successful, appeal that the last year-and-a-half had been a "nightmare".
She was provisionally suspended from playing during an investigation that was prolonged by detecting alleged irregularities in her biological passport, which can reveal abnormal blood values measured over several years.
The ITIA banned Halep last September until October 2026 after she would have turned 35.
She denied wrongdoing for the positive test and blamed contaminated nutritional supplements. Athletes need to prove the source of contamination to show they were not at fault for doping.
Halep appealed to CAS and came to Lausanne, Switzerland, one month ago for a three-day, closed-door hearing.
The court said its judges, who dismissed the charge against Halep relating to her blood values, issued the verdict "as soon as practicable" without waiting to deliver a lengthy document detailing all their reasons.
"Although the CAS panel found Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence," the court said.
The case was heard by three of the court's most highly regarded judges.
The chair of the panel, Annabelle Bennett of Australia, also oversaw the case brought by two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya that later went to the European Court of Human Rights.
Halep can now resume a career that stalled and left the former number one ranked 1,138th when the 2023 US Open started.
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AP