Rwanda’s number two Etienne Niyigena and Gisele Umumararungu claimed the 2025 Genocide Memorial Tennis Tournament after overcoming their domestic rivals Claude Ishimwe and Carine Nishimwe respectively in men and women’s finals held at IPRC-Kigali Ecology Tennis courts on Sunday, May 18. The weeklong tournament was organised by Rwanda Tennis Federation in partnership with the National Olympic and Sports Committee as a special occasion to pay honour victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi through tennis. The 2025 edition attracted nearly 200 participants competing across various categories including namely professionals, amateurs, seniors and wheelchair tennis. Before the finals members of the tennis fraternity and officials from the Olympic Committee visited Kigali Genocide Memorial site in Gisozi where over 250,000 genocide victims are laid to rest. In the men’s professional senior final, Niyigena overcame top seed Claude Ishimwe in the tiebreak (10-8) after the two were tied to 1-1 (6-2, 5-7). Meanwhile, Umumararungu came from a set down to dominate Nishimwe 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 and claim the trophy. In the amateur women’s singles, Kirchman Von overpowered Tomassen Diwy with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win while Colin Karekezi defeated Innocent Rukundo 6-2, 7-6 (3). In the amateur doubles category, Sean Buckley and Livingstone Mugisha defeated Antony Hachez and Vincent Boulardot 7-5, 6-0 to claim the men’s trophy while, in amateur mixed doubles, Patrice Col teamed up with Carine Nishimwe to beat Philbert Ndugu and Eveline Kwizera 6-3, 6-7 (2), 10-1 in the final. The wheelchair tennis trophies went to Yvonne Maniragena who beat Faith Mutesi in the women’s final and Emmanuel Ndayishimiye who came from a set down to overcome Jean Luc Dusengimana in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in men’s final. In the senior men’s singles category, Eslon Mucyurabuhuro outplayed Joseph Bizimana 6-1, 6-2. In the seniors mixed doubles, Innocent Gashugi and Mucyurabuhuro defeated Augustin Gatera and Alphonse Katarebe 6-3, 7-5.
