Agony for Lock, ecstasy for Echargui as Tunisian wins African Games
Moez Echargui booked his place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Tennis Event after overcoming Benjamin Lock to win the African Games in Accra, Ghana.
The 31-year-old Tunisian defeated Lock 7-6(9) 3-6 6-2 to clinch the gold medal and earn a spot in Paris – on the condition the world No. 318 maintains his place inside the top 400 at the ranking cut-off date for the Olympic tennis event on 10 June.
Echargui, who competes primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour and has eight titles to his name on the ITF World Tennis Tour, is set to compete at the Olympics for the first time when the event kicks off on 27 July.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Echargui. "I'm really excited about it. I think I'm not realising it still, with all the emotions after the match and everything, but I'm really happy about it.
"Every athlete dreams to go to the Olympics. To participate in such a big event.. it's one of the major events that gathers athletes from all over the world. I'm really excited."
Echargui was awarded a Grand Slam Player Development Grant in 2019 to assist with his competition-related costs and, while he has regularly competed for his country in Davis Cup since 2016, a place in the main draw at the Olympics will be a career highlight.
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For Lock, it was a case of what might have been.
The 31-year-old from Zimbabwe cut a disconsolate figure after the final, distraught at missing out on a place at the Olympics for the first time.
It would have been an incredible story had Lock qualified for the Games given his girlfriend, Brazil's Laura Pigossi, had booked her spot in Paris via the regional games route having won gold in both singles and doubles at the Pan American Games in Santiago last year.