Sunday, October 19 Men's singles final Yassine Dlimi Vs Max Houkes Match starts: 12:30pm Morocco’s Yassine Dlimi produced a stunning performance to dethrone defending champion Corentin Denolly of France winning 6-3, 6-1 on Saturday to reach the Rwanda Open final at the RP-Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Club. Dlimi, seeded fifth, was dominant from start to finish, breaking Denolly’s serves repeatedly and dictating play with powerful groundstrokes. His victory not only halted Denolly’s nine-match winning streak in Kigali but also earned him a place in Sunday’s championship match — his first M25 final in Kigali. The Moroccan will face top seed Dutchman Max Houkes who advanced to the final after his semifinal rival Dinko Dinev of Bulgaria retired due to calf injury. Houkes, last week’s finalist, is seeking redemption and his first title in Kigali when he meets Dlimi in the final. In doubles, Germany’s Maximilian Homberg and Belgium’s Martin Van der Meerschen were crowned champions after a thrilling 3-6, 7-6(1), [11-9] tiebreak comeback victory over Louis Van Herck (LUX) and Marlon Vankan (GER). Their triumph capped off an impressive campaign that saw them battle through tight matches, including a straight-sets win over Denolly and Morocco’s Younes Lalami in the semifinals.
