Men’s singles
Serge Kayitare vs Christian Kaningu
Serge Kayitare and Christian Kaningu will go head to head in a showdown which will decide the winner of the 2022 Rubavu Tennis Tournament.
The tournament, which is in its fifth edition, was organised by Nyarutarama Tennis Club, as part of not only relaunching Tennis activities after more than two years of forced suspension due to Covid-19 pandemic but also as an occasion for the Tennis Club members to socialize, network and keep themselves healthy through Tennis.
This year’s tournament attracted 40 adult amateur players from different clubs from Nyarutarama, Cercle Sportif de Kigali and Kanombe Tennis Club among others.
The players participated in either of the two categories, men’s singles and men’s doubles, but the duo was touted by many as favorites to win the single’s tournament before it opened Saturday at Kivu Lake Serena Hotel Tennis court.
Kayitare beat Emmanuel Rukundo 9-8 in Saturday’s first semi-final while his opponent Kaningu had an afternoon to remember after overcoming Theoneste Bahati with 9-8 win in a hard-fought second semi-final tie.
The final was scheduled to take place on Saturday but organizers were forced to move it to Sunday after the players raised concerns of fatigue which could have affected their performance in the final.
"I was so tired because I played three games while participating in both singles and doubles categories. I am now going to take some rest so I can come back to the court stronger for the final,” said Kayitare.
Kaningu, however, said the break is a special occasion for him to track down Kayitare’s weaknesses which he insists will take advantage of it to win the final.
In Men's Doubles, Theoneste Bahati and Alain King also face Emmanuel Rukundo and Sabin Ineza in another final that was shifted to Sunday to give the finalists some break to refresh their bodies.
Bahati Theoneste and King reached the final after beating Serge Kayitare and Peter Karake in the semi-final while Rukundo and Ineza joined the duo to the final after eliminating Christian Kaningu and George Camara.
The semi-finals in men’s doubles were also played Saturday.