Despite having only a slim chance of being awarded final qualification places for the London Olympics doubles event, Barbados’ tennis professionals Darian King and Haydn Lewis continue to accumulate Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) points.
Both players have been giving it their best shots in Futures doubles events in Mexico and Florida to maximize their rankings by the qualifying deadline of June 11.
King, 20, lost in the second round singles last week at the Puebla Futures in Mexico, but had earlier won back-to-back doubles titles in Celaya and Guadalajara.
In both tournaments, he teamed up with American Devin Britton (21), a former collegiate champion and US Davis Cup practice squad member to beat the more experienced pairing Ben Wagland and Marious Zelba, of Australia, 2-6, 6-6 [10-4] in Celaya.
They also beat Mexicans Miguel-Angel Reyes Varela and Bruno Rodriguez in Guadalajara 6-3, 5-7 [10-4] to take the titles and 36 ATP doubles ranking points.
King also picked up six valuable ATP singles points in Guadalajara by reaching the semi-finals of the Mexico F6 event before going down in three long sets to the No.1 seeded American Adam El Midhawy.
Going for a hat-trick of consecutive men’s doubles titles in Morelia, Mexico, King and new partner, Mexican Luis Diaz-Barriga lost a heartbreaking third set match tie-breaker.
Meanwhile, in Tampa, Florida, 26-year-old Lewis reached the USA F13 Futures men’s doubles final playing with Haitian Oliver Sajous against Canadians Philip Bester and Kamil Pajkowski, but went down 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Lewis has won eight Futures doubles titles during his seven-year professional career, two of which were with King in 2011. He has also been runner-up in several other Futures doubles and singles events.
Dr Raymond Forde, president of the Barbados Tennis Association, said despite King and Lewis having done their best to amass ranking points to try to qualify for the Olympics, competition for the final qualification places was very fierce and any chance now rested on the determinations of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
The London 2012 Olympic Games tennis event will be held from July 28 to August 5 on the grass courts at Wimbledon. (PR/SAT)
