Austrian tennis star Maximilian Neuchrist emerged victorious in the second week of the "Rwanda Open M25” tournament after defeating France’s Corentin Denolly 2-0 (6-4, 7-5) in a gripping final held at the IPRC Kigali courts on Sunday, October 6.
ALSO READ: Denolly face Neuchrist in back-to-back Rwanda Open M25 final
The tournament, which kicked off on September 30, saw 812th ranked Neuchrist, make an impressive debut in Rwanda, reaching the final for the first time.
On the other hand, Denolly, currently ranked 416th in the world, was no stranger to this stage, having won the tournament twice, including last week’s event and in 2023.
In a match that kept the audience entertained, Neuchrist secured the first set with a powerful 6-4 win, utilizing his strong serves to gain the upper hand.
The second set saw Denolly race to a 4-1 lead, and it seemed like he was on the verge of a comeback. However, Neuchrist clawed his way back, tying the set at 5-5 and went on to win it 7-5.
The victory earned Neuchrist a prize of $3,600 (approximately 4.7 million Rwandan francs) and 25 ITF points.
"I feel very happy, very exhausted. It was a very good week for me," he said.
"I had to restart again. I was injured for eight months, I was playing last year’s grand slams and now I started at the bottom again, so I tried to be humble, I tried to just focus on my game."
" It’s nothing for granted at my age. I still have to improve physically, I am still not 100 per cent where I want to be again, this was a very good test here and I am starting in the right direction," he added.
Although he won the tournament, Neuchrist admitted that he got a tough opponent in Denolly who wanted to win back-to-back trophies in the two-week competition.
"He seemed physically better than me to be honest. I tried to really hold the bar high like step up in the important moment and not show him that I was a little bit tired. The game could have gone the other way round,” he noted.
This marks a remarkable achievement for the 33-year-old Austrian, who, alongside Swiss partner Arthur Laborde, also won the doubles tournament on Saturday, October 5, after overcoming Zimbabwean brothers Benjamin and Courtney John Lock in a tight 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 thriller.
Neuchrist’s standout performance in both the singles and doubles categories made him the star of the second week of the Rwanda Open M25.
The finals attracted a host of dignitary guest including Sports Minister Richard Nyirishema, French Ambassador to Rwanda Antoine Anfré and Mozambique High Commissioner to Rwanda Amade Miquidade among others.