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Geophrey Sifani, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Davis Cup player Benjamin Lock has withdrawn from the team three weeks before their away Euro/Africa Zone Group II first round tie against Finland on the weekend of March 4-6 in Kittila citing college commitments.

Davis Cup tennis team non-playing captain Martin Dzuwa said the development was a setback for them as Lock is Zimbabwe’s number two.

“It’s really a challenge as we were banking on him to play in the singles, but we will have to look at the other members of the team to lead us to victory,” said Dzuwa.

He said the team was training hard for the tie considering that they were going to face tough opponents.

United States-based Zimbabwe number one player Takanyi Garanganga and Martin Fynn, as well as Courtney Lock will represent the country.

Dzuwa said due to lack of funding, they will hold a five-day training camp in Finland before the clash.

“We will have five days of preparation although we would have loved a longer camp. This will help the team determine who will play in the doubles because it has not yet been set.

“So far everything is going on well and we know Finland play professional tennis, but we want to match their standard and not slip up. This will be good exposure for the team against international players,” Dzuwa said.

In March 2015, Zimbabwe lost their opening round match to Bosnia Herzegovina 1-4, but retained their place in the Euro/Africa Zone Group II with a dominant 5-0 whitewash of Moldova at the Harare Sports Club in July.

Losers of the Zimbabwe-Finland tie will go back to the relegation play-off, while the winners move a step towards promotion into Group I, which is a rung below the elite World Group.