daniel chigunwe
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE tennis siblings Benjamin and Courtney Lock were on cloud nine at the weekend after they won their first ATP Challenge Tour as a doubles team with the victory at the 2024 Internationaux de Tennis de Blois in France.
The pair fought hard to beat Frenchmen Corentin Denolly and Arthur Gea 1-6 6-3 (10-4) on their home soil in the final on Saturday.
Remarkably, this was also the first ATP challenger or ATP tour-level win by a Zimbabwean duo since 2005 when Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyet lifted the Australian Open.
Inspired by their mother who was also among the spectators on Saturday, the Lock brothers atoned for the previous two attempts at the ATP Challenge tour which ended in disappointment.
“We are really happy about the win. It’s our first ATP challenger title together and the first ATP tour level since 2005 with Wayne Black and Kelvin Ullyet. So, we are really happy.
“We have lost two challenger finals before this. It was special; it was even more special to do it with having our mum. It was her first week on tour with us in Europe. So it was very special that she was able to be with us during the week and experience it,” Benjamin Lock told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
They started their campaign with a 6-3 6-4 win over Anthony Genov and Bruno Pujol Navarro in the second round on Wednesday.
The following day they accounted for the Indian pair of Sidhant Bathia and Divij Sharan 7-6 6-4 in the quarter-final.
The Zimbabwean players had a tough semi-final tie against Italian Luca Potenza and American Tennyson Whitting before coming out victorious 6-4 6-7 (11-9) on Friday.
Lock described the triumph in France as “the biggest title of my career so far.”
The two siblings are set to be part of the Zimbabwe team that will compete in the Davis Cup Group III Championship to be held in Nigeria next month.
Zimbabwe will battle for the promotion slots alongside Benin Republic, Namibia, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, and host Nigeria from July 15 to 20 in Abuja.
The matches will be played in a round-robin format and the top three teams will be promoted to Group II in 2025, while the bottom two teams will be relegated to Group IV.
“We are looking to build on this win,” said Lock.
“We have got a couple of more tournaments lined up in the year, before the Davis Cup in Nigeria in five weeks. So, we are picking up some really good momentum and playing some of our best tennis.
“But we are just delighted with the win (in France). It was a special day and we are looking forward to more and excited for more,” said Lock.
Online Reporter