ITF Money Circuit set for August 26

THE ANNUAL International Tennis Federation ‘Money Circuit’ tournament which is contested by professional players, both men and women from the East African region is scheduled for August 26-September 1 at Umubano hotel courts.Four-time winner, Jean Claude Gasigwa, is the defending champion of the men’s title that he won after beating his compatriot Dieudonne Habiyambere 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.In women’s category last year, Kenya’s Caroline Odour retained the title she had won in 2011 after also beating her compatriot Evelyn Otula 0-6, 7-5, 7-5. “We are almost done with preparations of this year’s ITF Money Circuit tournament and we hope it will be more competitive,” Rwanda Tennis Federation Technical Director, Fidele Kamanzi told this paper.He said that they are expecting participants from the region as well as Botswana and Mozambique.According to Kamanzi, the prize money will range from US$800 for the winners of categories, US$540 for the beaten finalists, US$200 for the semi-finalists get and US$140 for the quarter-finalists.The tournament usually attracts professional players from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda plus invited participants. The tournament is sponsored by the Ministry of Sports and Culture and ITF.