Another Rwandan Tennis prospect Junior Mfashingabo is looking forward to continuing his career in Florida, United States after he agreed to play for Miami-based Atlantis University for the next four years. Mfashingabo, who departs Kigali on Saturday becomes the second homegrown tennis player to join an American University on a tennis scholarship in less than a week following Rwanda’s number two Bertin Karenzi who started his tennis scholarship program at the Morgan State University in the United States. “It’s a good opportunity from which I hope to improve my level of performance and grow my career as a professional tennis player,” the 19-year-old told Weekend Sport. Mfashingabo, who was ranked number three in the junior’s category last year, agreed a four-year athletic scholarship where he will play in different inter-university competitions. The scholarship could however be renewed into full time depending on his performance. He knew about the scholarship through Tennis Federation Technical Director Philbert Ndugu who was in contact with the coach of Atlantis University’s tennis team. “The university coach was looking for new players in their team and I reached out to him, I sent him the highlights and he was impressed,” he said in an interview. Mfashingabo fell in love with Tennis at a tender age when a friend used to take him to a tennis court in Kanombe to see how he and his colleagues were playing. He would join his friend to play and people admired his talent. Three years later, Mfashingabo represented Rwanda for the first time at the East African Juniors Championship in Kenya where he competed in the U-12 category. In 2018, he represented the country in the same competition, but in the U-14 category, which he eventually won before adding the ITF/CAT EA Circuit to his trophy cabinet in the same year. Mfashingabo was part of the national team that represented the country at the Davis Cup Africa Group III tourney held in Cairo, Egypt last year alongside Bertin Karenzi, Etienne Niyigena and Joshua Muhire. He eventually won the competition.
