Karatantcheva contests drugs ban

Karatantcheva beat Venus Williams at last year's French Open

Bulgarian teenager Sesil Karatantcheva has appealed against a two-year ban for using performance-enhancing drugs.

The verdict was announced on 11 January after the 16-year-old twice tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone.

"The player requests the annulment of the decision challenged," said a Court of Arbitration for Sport statement.

Karatantcheva has claimed that the high levels of nandrolone in her system were due to a pregnancy, which later ended in miscarriage.

"She puts forward that the presence of norandrosterone is due mainly to her pregnancy condition and to the regular absorption of food supplements," confirmed Cas.

I'll keep training, I'm only 16 Sesil Karatantcheva

The ITF's independent Anti-Doping Tribunal rejected Karatantcheva's claims last month but the player's lawyer said at the time they had high hopes that an appeal would be successful.

"We have very strong evidence, things which were not taken into account at the hearing of the tribunal," said Darina Zinovieva.

Karatantcheva has promised to return to the sport even if she loses the appeal.

"I'll keep training, I'm only 16. I'll be back, and my return will be thunderous," she told a news conference last month.

The Bulgarian, who was regarded as one of the sport's rising stars, first provided a positive test at the French Open, where she beat Venus Williams before falling in the fourth round.

The second came in an out-of-competition test two months later in July.

Cas usually delivers its decisions within four months from the filing of the appeal.