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Rising stock . . . Benjamin Lock has secured a ranking in United States

HONOLULU. — Fifteenth-ranked Zimbabwe Davis Cup tennis team’s star Benjamin Lock is one of five players ranked in the first ITA standings of the season released on Wednesday for No. 31 Florida State University in the United States.

Joining Lock in the singles ranking is senior Marco Nunez at No. 77.

In doubles, Nunez and sophomore Jose Gracia rank No. 14, while twin brothers Terrance and Terrell Whitehurst are No. 55.

Lock jumped 10 spots from the pre-season poll after posting a 10-5 fall record with eight wins against ranked opponents.

He won the consolation draw at the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, beating four ranked players in the all-star field. He is the highest-ranked Seminole since Jean-Yves Aubone was eighth in the preseason rankings in 2009.

Nunez was outside the 125 ranked players in the fall, but a strong first half of the season propelled him to No. 77.

At the Southeast Regional Championships at the University of Florida, Nunez beat No. 16 Wayne Montgomery of Georgia in three-sets, the highest-ranked win of his career.

In doubles, Gracia and Nunez played just one tournament together, the Collegiate Clay Court Invitational in November, but won four matches in three days, including a win over No. 35 Jeffrey Brown and Alex Gornet of Louisville in the semifinals.

Nunez was ranked No. 7 in the fall playing with Lock.

Entering the rankings for the first time in their careers are the Whitehurst brothers. The sophomores won a pair of matches at the All-American Championships qualifying and one at the Clay Court event.

As a team, the Seminoles are ranked No. 31 to begin the season, the same place they finished 2015. — Seminoles.com