AFTER coming short in the semi-finals of his last two tournaments on home soil, Zimbabwe tennis ace Benjamin Lock will be hoping it’s a case of third time luck ahead of the final leg of the Old Mutual Zimbabwe F3 ITF Futures tournament at Harare Sports Club starting today.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Lock was denied a place in the final of the first two events, first by Evan Song of the United States a fortnight ago, followed by another semi-final loss to South Africa’s Tucker Vorster in the second tournament last Friday.
However, the 22-year-old US-based star will be encouraged by his performances in his last two outings as he gets a third shot at the title.
With a number of higher ranked players in the field, Lock will yet again have to be content with the underdog tag although he will be quietly confident of causing some upsets as he has consistently done in the last two weeks.
A win for Lock this week would not only see him emulating compatriot Takanyi Garanganga who emerged victorious on home soil three years ago, but would also be a major boost for his confidence ahead of Zimbabwe’s Euro/Africa Group II relegation playoff against Moldova next month.
South Africa’s Lloyd Harris will head into this week’s tournament as the favourite after he powered to a 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 victory over fellow countryman Voster in the final on Saturday.
With the win, Harris joined King, who won the Old Mutual Zimbabwe F1 ITF Futures tournament at the same venue two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s leading wheelchair tennis player Nyasha Mharakurwa will be hoping to maintain his unbeaten streak when he features in two ITF Super Series events in South Africa starting today.
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The 32-year-old star will be one of the favourites in the Pretoria Open which gets underway today, before he shifts his attention to the Soweto Open, to be played at Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in Jabavu from July 3 to 6.
Mharakurwa represented Zimbabwe at the 2008 Paralympics and is undefeated in the last two events he has played after returning from injury SA Open and the Gauteng Open in April.
The Airports Company South Africa Pretoria Open will be played from June 28 to July 1 in Pretoria, followed by the Airports Company South Africa Soweto Open, to be played at Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in Jabavu from July 3 to 6.
The ITF Super Series events are a crucial stepping stone for local and international players in gaining world ranking points, in order to improve their positions in the global list, which forms the basis of selection for next year’s Paralympic Games in Rio.
The two-week South African winter safari has attracted players from Australia, Austria, France, Ghana, Israel, Kenya, Romania and Zimbabwe.
