Kigali has been awarded rights to host the prestigious ATP Challenger 75 and ATP Challenger 100, Times Sport can confirm. The development was confirmed by local tennis governing body (FRT) president Theoneste Karenzi. “It is official, Kigali will host both ATP Challenger 75 and ATP Challenger 100,” Karenzi told Times Sport on Tuesday, January 14. The two tournaments will run for two weeks at Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Club from February 24 through March 9. These back-to-back events will offer a combined prize pool of $175,000 (approximately Rwf 244 million). The ATP Challenger 75 will take place in the first week, running from February 24 to March 1, with a prize money of $75,000 (around Rwf 105 million) up for grabs. It will be followed by the ATP Challenger 100 from March 3 to March 9, featuring a prize pool of $100,000 (roughly Rwf 140 million). Both events will showcase top-tier professional tennis players from across the globe competing for valuable ATP points, which are crucial for advancing in global rankings and qualifying for ATP Tour events and Grand Slams. ALSO READ:Meet Claude Ishimwe, the tennis prodigy putting Rwanda on the world map Rwanda’s elevation to host bigger ATP events comes after the resounding success of the ATP Challenger 50 that took place in Kigali earlier in 2024, becoming only the second country in Sub Sahara region to host a tennis event of ATP tour caliber after South Africa. The 2024 tournament attracted over 60 professional players from around the globe. Notably, Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak triumphed in the first week, defeating Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti in a closely contested final. Trungelliti bounced back the following week, securing the title after beating France’s Clement Tabur in the final. It is important to note that one of the winners, Majchrzak, participated in the 2025 Australian Open which is underway in Melbourne. President Paul Kagame, First Lady Jeannette Kagame and French tennis legend Yannick Noah were among high-profile guests who graced the event. ALSO READ: Why we should all celebrate success of ATP Rwanda Challenger The upcoming ATP Challenger 75 and ATP Challenger 100 events promise even more intense competition. These tournaments are expected to attract a mix of seasoned professionals and rising stars striving to break into the top 100 ATP rankings. It will also give Rwandan tennis players a platform to test their level of performance against some of world’s top tennis athletes.
