TOP Zimbabwe tennis player Benjamin Lock continued to show his affinity to Ethiopia after he won this third ITF singles title in that country after beating Luca Flatini in straight sets on Sunday.
Ethiopia has become Benjamin Lock’s favourite hunting ground after he won back to back singles titles last year, a feat which saw him scoop the ITF World Tennis Tour Player of the Month.
During the same period he also claimed the record for the most ITF singles titles by a player from Zimbabwe, reaching double figures ahead of nine-time fellow compatriot champion Takanyi Garanganga.
On Sunday Benjamin Lock won 7–4, 6–4 to make it a double triumph after he won the M15 01A Addis Ababa doubles title along with his younger brother Courtney Lock, 24 hours earlier.
The Lock brothers beat the pair of Maik Steiner from Germany and Indian Chirag Duhan 6–3, 7–6 in the doubles decider on Saturday.
In the singles contest, Benjamin dropped just one set in the tournament, needing a third set to beat South African Philip Hennig in the semifinals.
Hennig won the first set 7–6 after a tiebreak before the 31-year-old Zimbabwean star bounced back to take the next two sets 6–2 and 6–4 to book a place in the final.
It was in the doubles that the Lock brothers put up a perfect run going through the tournament without losing a single set.
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The two Zimbabwean players are in the hunt again this week at the Addis Ababa 02A competition which is already underway in the Horn of Africa country.
Their opening doubles match against the Japanese pair of Osei Akamura and Kazuma Kawachi was suspended under unclear circumstances after they had won the first set 6–3 yesterday.
Today, Benjamin begins his singles campaign against Madhwin Kamath from India, while his brother, Courtney faces local player Yabets Kebede.
