Rwanda Challenger: Hemery cautious as Wenger test awaits

Wednesday Order of Play Center court C. Hemery (3) vs D. Wenger 10am CAT C. Denolly vs G. Pennaforti - Not before 11:30am CAT D. Ionel (5) vs G. Iradukunda Court 1 E. Voisin vs Trungelliti (4) 10am CAT L. Bouquet (Q) vs Yshai Oriel - Not before 11:30am CAT Court 2 K. Majchrzak (WC) vs J. Paz 10am CAT D. Cukierman vs S. Kozlov - Not before 11:30am CAT Court 3 P. Brown vs M. Houkes (7) - Not before 11:30am CAT Frenchman Calvin Hemery isn’t taking any opponent lightly after fellow top ranked player were sent packing from the first round of the Rwanda Challenger 50 Tour which is underway at Kigali Ecology Tennis Club. Hemery dispatched David Pichler of Austria 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday to set a second round date with Swiss Damien Wenger on Wednesday. Wenger, who won Rwanda Open M25 (Week 1) in 2023, beat Italian Luca Fantini 6-0, 7-6(0) in the first round. The latter had made it into the main draw through qualifiers. Third seed Hemery remains the top-ranked player in the competition so far after early exits of top seed Ivan Gakhov (Russia) and seed two Clement Tabur (France), who were two pre-tournament favorites. Hemery, ranked 219, went into his match on center court knowing there is no room for error, and he put on a clinic of tennis against his world number 580 opponent, who seemed to have no answer to his powerful serves and an array of shots. Asked whether being the remaining top seed in the tournament brings added pressure, the Frenchman said, I have been playing professional tennis for 10 years and I know seeds don't mean much, it's for the fans. Over the years, I have seen top seeds lose in the first round, therefore, regardless of your seed or who you are facing, what matters is how prepared you are, the 29-year old told Times Sport. But Wenger, who is 382nd on ATP world ranking, isn't afraid of Hemery's threat either regardless of his superior ranking. That means he has a good ranking but everything can happen, Wenger said in an interview. Another Frenchman Corentin Denolly, a familiar face to Rwandan tennis for his exploits that saw him win the 2023 Rwanda Open M25 (Week 2), will face Italian Lucas Gabriele Pennaforti in round two. Denolly reached the next round after beating Argentine Herman Casanova 7-6(2), 7-5 on Tuesday while Pennaforti pulled a major upset of the tournament so far when he shocked Gakhov in three sets 5-7, 6-3, 7-63 in Monday’s first round thriller. Dutchman Max Houkes will face Preston Brown (USA) in the next round. Houkes beat American qualifier Alafia Ayeni in three sets 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, while Brown overcame Indian Dev. SD. Prajwal 6-3, 6-2. American Stefan Kozlov, who defeated Clement Tabur 6-4,7-67 on Tuesday, is up against Daniel Cukierman (ISR), who ended Rwandan Ernest Habiyambere's dream in his first ATP Challenger Tour appearance in the first round. Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti, seed four, beat American Noah Schachter 6-4, 6-4 to set up a second-round matchup with Emilien Voisin of France. Voisin reached the second round after a 6-2, 6-1win over Tunisia’s Aziz Quakaa in the first round. Romania's number one Nicholas David Ionel eliminated Joshua Sheehy (USA) in the first round 6-1, 6-2, and he will next meet Burundian Guy Orly Iradukunda in round two. Iradukunda who made it to the main draw via a wildcard, pulled off a three-sets win over American Brumm 3-6, 6-4, 7-63 in the first-round game that was earlier suspended on Monday due to darkness when the pair was all square with one set each. The third, played on Tuesday, ended in Iradukunda’s favor as he took it in tie-break. Competition in the doubles gets underway with up to seven first round matches to be played on Wednesday. One match was played on Tuesday as Egyptian duo El Sallaly and Muhamed Safwat beat Iradukunda and Ganta (IND) 6-4, 7-63. Tags: , ,

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Rwanda Challenger: Hemery cautious as Wenger test awaits