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After a thrilling week of smashes, aces, and unexpected upsets, the February edition of the National Ranking Championship at Cercle Sportif has come to a close! And what a week it was—history was made as junior categories (both girls and boys) debuted for the first time, alongside an exciting women’s division. This marks the second edition proudly sponsored by Mchezo, our new partner in growing the game!
👑 Etienne Dethrones Claude!
Tennis fans, we have a new No.1! Etienne stormed through the tournament like a human highlight reel, not dropping a single set on his way to victory. He sealed the deal in the final showdown, taking down Ishimwe Claude (the former No.1) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Ishimwe will now sit at No.2, surely plotting his comeback.
Etienne’s road to the title wasn’t a walk in the park either—he took down Aimable Nshimiyimana in the semis. Aimable, the tournament’s underdog, had stunned everyone by knocking out Ivan Gift Ngarambe in Round 1 and then upsetting Brian H. Karenzi in the quarters—not bad for a first-timer!
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💥 Women’s & Junior Champions Make History!
In the women’s category, Sonia Tuyishime played like she had a cheat code and cruised past Gisele Umumararungu, 6-0, 6-1, to become the first-ever National Champion!
Meanwhile, in the junior categories:
- Fidella took home the girls’ title after a tough battle against M. Ndayisaba
- Kian Izere became the boys’ champion, beating Remmy Ndizeye
📊 Rankings Shake-Up & Rwanda Challenger Wild Cards?
The biggest ranking change? Etienne is now No.1, Ishimwe drops to No.2—the rest stay put. David M. Rwamucyo was eyeing the No.4 spot but remains at No.5 .
With the Rwanda Challenger just around the corner, all eyes are on wild card allocations. If they go to the top seeds, we could see:
🎾 Etienne (No.1)
🎾 Ishimwe Claude (No.2)
🎾 Joshua Muhire (No.3)
🎾 Brian H. Karenzi (No.4)
The next big stage awaits—will these top players make their mark? Stay tuned! 🚀🎾
