Rwanda’s Claude Ishimwe exited Rwanda Open M25 early again after US prospect Dillon Beckles dominated him in two sets 6-1, 6-1 to qualify on Tuesday, October 14, to qualify for the second round of the Kigali M25 tournament taking place at RP-Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Club. Despite playing before the home supporters, the 20-year-old struggled to contain the power and consistency of Beckles who closed out the match in just over an hour. Ishimwe, however, still have a chance for redemption in doubles when he partners compatriot Etienne Niyigena against Beckles and Darrshan Suresh of Malaysia on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Edison Ambarzamjan of Germany advanced to the next round after dispatching Ruslan Serazhetdinov of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3, while France’s Raynel Amaury battled past Poland’s Marcin Andrzejczak 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. Maximilian Homberg of Germany also booked his spot in the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Belgian Louis Van Herck. The match of the day featured Bulgarian rising star Dinko Dinev, who produced a stunning comeback to edge Christopher Bulus of Nigeria 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in one of the tournament’s most thrilling encounters so far. Dinev, 21, showed remarkable mental strength, saving several match points in the second set before turning the tide to seal victory after nearly three hours on court. Rwanda’s hopes now lie on Etienne Niyigena and David Manzi Rwamucyo whose match against Florent Bax was rescheduled to Wednesday after Tuesday’s weather interruptions. Rwamucyo’s match, alongside Niyigena’s anticipated battle against Rodrigo Alujas of Argentina will both take place in center court while Andrea Motta of Brazil faces Rwanda Open Week 1 champion Corentin Denolly of France. The 2025 Rwanda Open, part of the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour, continues to draw an increasingly international field. The two-week event offers a total prize purse of $30,000, a 20 percent increase from last year’s $25,000 edition.
