Fourth seed Corentin Denolly claimed the first week of Rwanda Open M25 after defeating Florent Bax 6-3, 7-6(3) in the all-French singles final on Sunday, September 29 at IPRC-Kigali Ecology Tennis Club.
It was Denolly’s second M25 victory in Kigali, having previously won the second week of the 2023 edition after beating then top seed Oliver Crawford in the final.
"I'm happy for the victory; Rwanda has treated me well, both on and off the court," Denolly told Times Sport after Sunday’s victory.
"Last year I won the second week of the tournament and today, I won the first week...so, yeah, this place feels lucky for me and I couldn't be more grateful for the support I've received here in Kigali."
With the victory, he earned 25 points, on top of a trophy and a cash prize of $3,600 (Rwf 4,795,200).
ALSO READ: Bax, Denolly face off in all-French Rwanda Open M25 final
The Frenchman added the prize to his doubles glory which he shares with Tunisian counterpart Aziz Ouakaa. The pair defeated Zimbabwean brothers Benjamin and Courtney John Lock 6-2, 7-5 in the doubles final on Saturday, to pocket a cash prize of $1,550 (Rwf 2,064,600).
The Rwanda Open M25, which part of the ITF World Tennis Tour "Futures" series, is a critical event for players seeking to improve their ATP rankings.
This year’s tournament spans two weeks, with the first week running from September 23-29 which will be followed by the second week scheduled for September 30 to October 6.
ALSO READ: Rwanda Open M25: Muhire and Niyigena out, Benjamin Lock stunned
Rwanda was represented by seven players in the competition, but none managed to advance beyond the round of 32. The event brought together international players aiming for success on the global stage, competing for a total prize pool of $25,000 (around RWF 35 million) and 25 points.
The singles runner-up, Bax, took home $2,120, while the semi-finalists received $1,255 each. Players who made it to the round of 32 earned $260. In the doubles category, the Lock brothers, as runners-up, were awarded $900.