They weren’t the results that Rwandan tennis duo Gisele Umumararungu and Chantal Mutuyimana expected who fell to shock defeats against Tanzania’s Martin Shana Mao and Mohamed Ester Nankulange respectively during Tuesday’s the ongoing 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, Africa Group lV tournament in Kigali.

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Umumararungu lost her first singles match in the past two outings following a 2-0 (6-2 6-0) defeat to Shana Mao while Mutuyimana was also beaten on 2-0 (6-2 6-2) by Nankulange during Day 2 games of the tournament taking place at Kigali Ecology Tennis Club.

Umumararungu, however, finished Day 2 in a positive mood as she teamed up with Olive Tuyisenge to register a 2-1 (6-2, 4-6, 7-5) doubles victory over Tanzanian duo Shana Martin Mao and Barbara Mollel.

In general, the girls struggled to cope with Tanzanians’ game intensity, hence losing both singles games before winning the doubles. They will have to bounce back and bag some positive results when they return to action on Thursday against Ethiopia.

A total of 11 African countries are in the country for the Billie Jean King Cup 2023 which is taking place on the African continent for the first time.

Officially opened on Monday, June 5, the one-week long tournament attracted female tennis players from Angola, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Rwanda who won the hosting rights for the tournament’s inaugural edition.