Kigali will host two weeks of high-stakes professional tennis when the Rwanda Open M25 takes over the IPRC Kigali courts from 6–19 October 2025. Now firmly on the ITF World Tennis Tour “Futures” calendar — the third tier of pro events that award ATP ranking points — the tournament blends familiar champions, hungry challengers and real ranking consequences: each week carries $30,000 (Rwf 43.5 million) in prize money and the tournament winner earns 25 ATP points. This year’s 32-player professional field features 10 seeded players who sit inside the global Top 1000. The highest-ranked entrant, Max Houkes (NED, ATP #294), arrives as the man to beat, flanked by France’s Bax Florent (#305) and Corentin Denolly (#320)—a name fans know well in Kigali after two titles and three finals appearances. Denolly’s record in Rwanda gives this edition an emotional center; he arrives with history and expectation. The seeds also bring recent Rwanda Open pedigree back to the courts. Austria’s Maximilian Neuchrist (#385) — winner of Week 2 in 2024 after beating Denolly—returns to defend his form, while Switzerland’s Damien Wenger (#577), the 2023 champion, will seek to rekindle that triumph. Completing the seeded mix are India’s Karan Singh (#410), Canada’s Alvin Nicholas Tudorica (#484) and French duo Maxence Beauge (#585) and Amaury Raynel (#747), alongside Morocco’s Yassine Dlimi (#780)—a compact, international group that spans three continents and promises contrasting styles and storylines. Though the seeds carry expectation, Kigali has become a place for breakthroughs : the Rwanda Open’s elevation since 2023 means more professionals, tougher fields and genuine ATP movement on offer. For local supporters this is more than sports: it is a chance to see international-level tennis up close, witness rematches that have already produced champions, and watch new names fight for valuable points that can change a season. For the players, the Rwanda Open M25 is both a proving ground and a point-earning opportunity — a two-week stretch where form, fitness and focus can translate directly into upward movement on the ATP ladder. As Kigali cements its place on the global tennis map, the 2025 Rwanda Open promises drama: established winners returning to defend their legacies, top seeds bearing the burden of expectation, and underdogs keen to turn the draw on its head. Whoever lifts the trophy on October 19 will take home prize money, 25 ATP points — and the kind of momentum that can reshape a career.
