Rwanda's very own Ernest Habiyambere will be the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) history books as soon as he steps onto center court of IPRC-Kigali Ecology Tennis Club to face David Cukierman of Israel in the opening match of the Main Draw of ATP Rwanda Challenger 50 Tour on Monday, February 26.
Habiyambere's inclusion in the main draw as one of the two wildcard entries marks a historic moment for Rwandan tennis which has never been represented in international tennis competitions of ATP caliber before.
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The 24-year old, who is unranked on the latest ATP rankings led by Serbian Novak Djokovic, will be looking to seize the opportunity and make a lasting impression on home soil.
He, however, faces a mount to climb to oust his 475 ranked Israeli star David Cukierman who is among the top ranked in the Rwanda Challenger.
According to the Monday Main Draw order of play, tournament top seed Ivan Gakhov of Russia is scheduled to take on Italian Gabriele Pennafort on Court 1. It will be a clash of seasoned players which promises to add an element of excitement to the opening day, setting the stage for intense competition.
In another captivating showdown, American Preston Brown will open his campaign on Court 2 against Lawrence Bataljin of Australia.
On Court 3, Alafia Ayeni from the United States and Romanian Leonid Sheyngzikht will also face off in what is expected to be a closely contested match. The diversity of nationalities represented in these matchups adds to the global appeal of the ATP Rwanda Challenger.
Preceding these main draw matches, four qualifying round encounters will take place, setting the stage for an action-packed day on the courts.
The competition promises to be a fierce one, as players vie for a coveted spot in the main draw.
Four other Rwandans, who landed wildcards entry in the qualifiers, lost their respective matches on Sunday.
Claude Ishimwe lost to Jaycer Lyeons (US) 6-2, 6-1, Junior Hakizumwami was beaten by Leonid Sheyngezikht 6-1, 6-1, and Joshua Muhire lwas sent packing after losing two straight sets 6-0, 6-1 at the hands of Nigeria’s Christopher Bulus while Etinnne Niyigena missed out on chance to feature in the main draw after defeat to Australian Lawrence Bataljin.
Monday: Order of Play
Qualifying Round, 10am
N. Schachter (US) vs C. Bulus (Nig) - Center Court
J. Lyeons (US) vs L. Bouquet (Fra) - Court 1
S. Watanabe (Jap) vs I. Denisov (...) - Court 2
L. Fantini (Ita) vs A. Bellefemine (Arg) - Court 3
Main Draw (Round 32)
Center Court, 12pm
E. Habiyambere (Rwa) vs D. Cukierman (ISR)
I. Gakhov (Rus) vs G. Penna fort (Ita) - Court 1
P. Brown (US) vs L. Bataljin (Aus) - Court 2
A. Ayeni (US) vs L. Sheyngzikht (Rom) - Court 3
J. Brumm (US) vs G. Iradukunda (BDI) - Center Court 2pm
S. Kozlov (US) vs C. Tabur (Fra) - Court 1
C. Denolly (Fra) vs H. Casanova (Arg) - Court 2
N. lonely (Rom) vs J. Sheehy (US) - Court 3