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British tennis protégé faces rape charge
Amar Singh19 Nov 2008
A BRITISH tennis protégé has been arrested in the United States on suspicion of raping a woman following a party.
Chris Doerr, who reached number 11 in the English rankings and 420 in the world, was detained after a 20-year-old claimed she had been assaulted at his flat on Sunday.
Doerr, 20, a scholarship student at Mississippi State University, was released from custody in Oktibbeha County yesterday after bail of £33,000 was paid. The sportsman from Orpington also faces a charge of supplying beer to a minor. Drinking is illegal for those under 21 in the state.
A college tennis website describes him as a "second-year talent from Great Britain" who "will be a key player in doubles". The right-hander lists Andy Murray and André Agassi as his favourite stars.
Doerr's taxi driver father, Richard, 54, flew to Mississippi on Sunday. His brother, Michael, said: "None of us can believe it. He's just not that kind of guy."
