Day 1 of the M25 Kigali Tournament saw a tough outing for the local players as the competition ramped up in intensity. Rwanda’s top-ranked player, Ishimwe Claude, faced a challenging match against Italian D. Constantin, succumbing 6-0, 6-0 in a one-sided encounter. Muhire Joshua also struggled to find his rhythm, losing 6-0, 6-1 to India’s Pranav Kumar. Meanwhile, Etienne Niyigena showed some promise but ultimately fell to American Preston Brown in a tightly contested match, 7-5, 6-2.
In doubles action, the Rwandan duos faced a similar fate. Muhire Joshua and his partner Gift Ivan Ngarambe battled hard but were defeated 6-2, 6-3 by Peru’s Petr Lamachkine and Italy’s Manuel Pluger. Rwamucyo Manzi David and Manishimwe Emmanuel also exited early, losing 6-0, 6-2 to Zimbabwe’s formidable LOCK brothers.
Other Results from Round One:
Singles:
- Brandon Perez (VEN) defeated Aryan Shah (IND) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Rodrigo Alujas (MEX) beat Aiz Ouakaa (TUN) 6-3, 6-2
- Adil Kalyanpur (IND) overcame Benjamin Lock (ZIM) 6-4, 6-4
- Corentin Denolly (FRA) triumphed over Sai Karteek Feddy Gianta (IND) 7-5, 6-3
- Karan Singh (IND) edged out Yuvan Nandal (IND) 6-1, 7-6(2)
- Sidan Banthia (IND) beat Muni Anant Mani (IND) 6-2, 6-4
- Oliver Crawford (GBR) defeated Juan Jose Bianchi (VEN) 6-4, 6-4
- Guy Orly Iradukunda (BDI) upset Noah Schachter (USA) 6-3, 6-4
- Kumaran Bharath Nishok (IND) beat Terblanche Ethan (RSA) 6-2, 7-5
As the first round wraps up, anticipation builds for the upcoming matches, players looking to advance deeper into the tournament.
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