Rwanda's national tennis team came from running for a ticket to the Davis Cup Africa Group III to fighting to avoid being relegated to Africa Group V after losing their second game in a row in the Africa Group IV tournament which is underway in Luanda, Angola. Dieudonne Habiyambere’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat to neighboring tennis foes Democratic Republic of Congo on June 20, putting the team on the brink of relegation to Group V should they not bounce back from their current failures in Luanda. ALSO READ: Tennis: Rwanda struggles against Burundi in Davis Cup opener Thursday’s loss followed an earlier 3-0 loss to Burundi in the tournament's opening match on Wednesday. In the first singles match, Rwanda’s Ernest Habiyambere lost 2-0 (6-2, 6-1) to Christian Saidi before the latter’s counterpart William Bashamuka came on to secure the day's victory by beating Etienne Niyigena 2-0 (6-2, 6-0). Joshua Muhire and Niyigena won the doubles 2-1 (6-3, 6(7)-7, 6-3) against Isaac Bokungu and Bienvenu Bolangi, but the result was not enough to take home the win. Rwanda returns to action on Friday, June 21, against Kenya. The tournament, which began on Wednesday, June 19, is being held at Academia de Tenis Kikuxi Villas Club in Luanda. It features eight countries: Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Rwanda who are pooled in Group B as well as Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon and host nation Angola who were drawn in Group A. The Davis Cup is played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the promotion playoffs, while the bottom two teams will compete in the relegation playoffs. The losers of the relegation playoff will be relegated to Africa Group V in 2025, while the finalists will be promoted to Africa Group III.
