HEAVY rains disrupted the start of Castle Lite Uganda Open, which was scheduled to kickoff yesterday at Lugogo Tennis Club, Kampala.

Rwanda’s top seed Dieudonne Habiyambere told Times Sport by phone yesterday that heavy downpour disrupted all the first round matches.

"It was raining the whole of today (yesterday) and I do not know whether we will be able to play the first round matches because the courts are muddy,” said Habiyambere.

However, the 25-year-old is optimistic Rwandan players will have a relatively easy first round after drawing Ugandans.
In the first round, Habiyambere was expected to play Steven Ayela; Jean Claude Gasigwa plays Henry Muyanja, Anatole Bizimana plays Andrew Ojok, Olivier Nkunda play Martin Otiti.

But Mathiew Uwizeyimana will have his hands full against defending champion and home favourite Duncan Mugabe, who goes into the tournament on the back of captured his second successive Kenya Open title over the weekend.

Gasigwa, who reached Kampala on Monday from Nairobi is the country’s main hope to battle favourites Mugabe and Allan Cooper to the crown. Gasigwa reached the Open final in 2008.

The winner in the men’s singles category will walk away with $1,200 (about Rwf0.8m).

Ends