Rwandan players Olive Tuyisenge and Gisèle Umumararungu put up dominant performances beating Ethiopians Shumet Makedes and Ayele Badada Selemawit 2-0 sets on Friday, June 9, to maintain Rwanda’s hopes of securing a top finish in the ongoing 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, Africa Group lV tournament.

READ ALSO: BJK Cup: Easy wins for Tuyisenge, Mutuyimana against Angolans

Tuyisenge, 24, who got her third win in four games started the tie with a 6-3 6-1 win over Shumet, Umumararungu sealed Rwanda’s win after a hard-fought 7-6 7-5 victory over Selemawit.

The duo dropped points in Group A rankings on Tuesday after Gisele Umumararungu and Mutuyimana were defeated by Tanzania’s Martin Shana Mao and Mohamed Ester Nankulange, respectively, in the singles category before Tuyisenge teamed up with Umumararugu to win the doubles 2-1 (6-2, 4-6, 7-5) against Tanzania. The results saw Rwanda drop to third in the table, behind Ethiopia and Tanzania.

READ ALSO: Billie Jean King Cup: Rwandans struggle against Tanzania

Eleven African countries are in Rwanda for the Billie Jean King Cup 2023 which is taking place on the continent for the first time.

Officially opened on Monday, June 5, the week-long tournament attracted female tennis players from Angola, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, and Rwanda.