Tennis: Hakizumwami, Gatoto win ITF Juniors doubles title
Friday, August 16, 2024

Rwanda's Junior Hakizumwami and Burundi's Allan Gatoto clinched the men’s doubles trophy at the ITF world juniors' tennis tour after defeating Poland's Wiktor Jez and Juliusz Stanczyk in a thrilling final held on Friday, August 16, at the IPRC Kigali court.

The dynamic duo showcased remarkable resilience, winning the match 7-6(5), 7-5.

ALSO READ: Tennis: Burundi’s Gatoto advances to ITF juniors’ semi-finals

In the singles category, Gatoto continued his impressive run, reaching the final after a hard-fought semifinal victory over Wiktor Jez.

Gatoto edged the Polish player in a marathon match, prevailing 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-5.

He will now face another Polish contender, Juliusz Stanczyk, in the final on Saturday. Stanczyk advanced to the final by defeating Canada’s Jay Lin Gibson 6-2, 5-7, 4-6.

On the girls’ side, Turkey’s Nadine Hamrouni and Belgium’s Anouk Vandevelde will battle it out in the singles final.

Hamrouni earned her spot by overcoming Russia’s Leila Akhmetova 6-4, 6-2, while Vandevelde dispatched India’s Ishi Maheshwari in a three-set contest, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

The ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, a Grade 4 tournament for players under 18, runs from August 12 to 24, with matches scheduled over two weeks—August 12-17 and August 19-24.

This tournament provides young athletes the chance to earn valuable points toward their professional rankings, with 60 points awarded to the winner, 36 points to the runner-up, and descending points for other top finishers.

Rwanda’s contingent, consisting of ten players—eight boys and two girls—unfortunately saw an early exit, with none advancing past the first preliminary round.