Rwanda men's tennis team has been relegated to Davis Cup Africa Group V after a narrow 2-1 defeat to host nation Angola in a relegation playoff on Saturday, June 22.

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The tournament, held at the Academia de Tenis Kikuxi Villas Club in Luanda, Angola, began on Wednesday, June 19, and concluded with Rwanda finishing winless.

The decisive match on Saturday started promisingly for Rwanda, with Ernest Habiyambere securing a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Angola’s Andre Fernando in the first singles tie but the hosts fought back to win second tie when Daniel Domingos defeated Rwanda’s Junior Hakizumwami 2-0 (6-2, 6-2), tying the encounter and forcing a doubles match to determine the outcome.

And it was a heartbreaking ending of the campaign for Rwanda. Habiyambere and Etienne Niyigena struggled to cope with the Angolans, losing the doubles tie 6-3, 6-4 Andre Chris Lukanu and Andre Fernando.

The defeat saw Rwanda dropping to Group V effective 2025.

Meanwhile, Senegal and Algeria secured promotion to Africa Group III after winning their promotion playoffs ties against DR Congo Burundi respectively. Senegal defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-0, while Algeria edged out Burundi 2-1.

The four-day tournament featured eight countries namely Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda in Group B, and Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, and host nation Angola in Group A.

The competition followed a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the promotion playoffs, while the bottom two teams faced off in relegation playoffs.