Benjamin Lock falls short of another ITF milestone

A WEEK after making his first ATP Tour singles final during the Medellin Challenger in Colombia, Zimbabwean tennis ace, Benjamin Lock fell short of making it to yet another finale after losing a semi-final encounter in the ITF M25 Klosters championship on Saturday.

The high-flying Zimbabwean ace lost his semi-final encounter 2-1 against Oliver Crawford from the United States of America (USA) to fall short of yet another final. The tournament took place in Switzerland and the American went on to win the event.

Lock, a member of the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team, has been on a good run over the past months in singles events. It was not an easy route to the semi finals for Lock, who showed his skill on the clay court.

His journey in the Swiss town began with a 2-1 victory over Switzerland’s Gian Luca Tanner before going on to register a similar set victory over Germany’s Leopold Zima. Starting his campaign on a high note, the 30-year-old who has been flying the Zimbabwean flag up high on the world stage went on to secure a hard fought 2-1 victory over another Swiss player, Mika Brunold in the last eight stage.

Lock lost the first set of the match 6-1 before finding his feet in the second set to secure a victory of 6-4. It was in the last set that the Zimbabwean brought his A game, winning 6-4 to secure victory and move one step closer to reaching the final.

It was however not to be for Lock who faced a tough challenge in the semis. Taking the lead against Crawford in the semi-finals, Lock won the first set 6-3 before the American turned things around to win the last two sets 6-4 and 6-0 to eliminate the Zimbabwean star. Lock would however exit with his head held up high knowing that he gave his all.

In last week’s Medellin Challenger, it was not only his first ATP Tour final appearance (lost 2-0 to Patrick Kypson from USA), but also the first singles final to be played by a Zimbabwean in 23 years. The last Zimbabwean to play in a Challenger singles final was Kevin Ullyett in Jerusalem in 2000.

He also is part of an elite company of Zimbabwe’s greatest tennis players ever. Lock holds the second most Davis Cup singles wins for Zimbabwe with 29, behind the great Byron Black (39) and just above another legend, Wayne Black (28).

Last month, he was named ITF Tennis Tour Player of the Month for May after leapfrogging Takanyi Garanganga to hold the record of the most singles titles by a Zimbabwean. Lock has gained global recognition due to his unrivalled skill in the court.

He also won back to back Challenger championships in Ethiopia to solidify his status as one of Zimbabwe’s finest players. – @brandon_malvin