Rwanda’s top junior tennis player Mele Bizimana is undergoing a tough workout ahead of this month’s Africa Zonal Championship in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

Bizimana who turns sixteen later this year is currently training at Cercle Sportif under the guidance of Slyvain Rutikanga, the assistant national team coach.

"He is in good shape and his morale is up there because of Gasigwa’s recent performances. He is getting the feeling that he can also do it," Rutikanga said.

Bizimana who will playing for Rwanda under the ITF team umbrella is the nation’s only flag bearer at the continental event which rolls off on March 18.

"He is playing under the ITF team umbrella and will under go a four-day ITF training camp in Pretoria before heading to Gaborone for the championship," the local tennis federation technical director Thierry Ntwali said.

Bizimana will compete in the ‘sixteen and under’ category is chasing for his fourth appearance in the championship after two appearances in the ‘fourteen and under’ category and one appearance in the ‘sixteen and under’ category.

Bizimana qualified for the championship after being the country’s top performer in the championship qualifiers that were held in Burundi early this year.

Apart from Bizimana, Rwanda’s other representatives struggled in the six day tournament that was claimed by Burundi.

Rwanda finished 5th in the nine-nation tournament.

Ends