Tennis: Rwanda U12 team set for African Champs
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The national U12 boysu2019 team celebrates with the trophy after winning the regional East African U12 Championship at Kigali Sports Centre in March this year. File photo.

Rwanda’s Under-12 national teams (boys and girls) have intensified preparations ahead of the African Youth Tennis Championships set for September 2-6 in Morocco.

The six-player team – three boys and three girls – qualified for the continental competition in March after overpowering Burundi, Kenya and Uganda to win the 2018 edition of the annual East Africa’s U12 tennis championships staged at Kigali Sports Centre in Kiyovu.

According to Valens Habimana, the Secretary General of Rwanda Tennis Federation, the young talents train daily at Amahoro tennis courts under the tutelage of  Eric Bimenyimana and Meganne Ingabire – and will be departing for Morocco on August 29.

This will be the first time that Rwanda competes in African tennis championship in the U12 category. The country has previously participated in the U14, U16 and U18 categories.

Players in training:

Boys: Junior Mfashingabo, Emmanuel Manishimwe, and Fabrice Niyonkuru.

Girls: Carine Ishimwe, Rona Tuyishimire, and Anabella Mbayu Shema.

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