Rwanda’s tennis hopeful Calvin Habiyambere has been crowned champion of the Christmas Holidays competition after beating King Muhoza 2-1(6-4, 3-6, 10-6) in the final held Saturday, December 24, at Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK). Organised by Rwanda Youth Tennis Development Program, the weeklong tennis competition was underway at CSK tennis courts since Monday, December 19, attracting young players from different clubs within Kigali; including, CSK, Kanombe, Vision City, Remera and Nyarutarama tennis clubs. Habiyambere, 14, had to overcome a tough test from King Muhoza in a tense final that neither of the two wanted to give up easily. The pair, who normally plays for CSK, had to go for a decisive set after playing out 1-1 (6-4, 3-6) during the first two sets. He eventually won the tiebreak with 10-6 to take home the hard fought triumph. Habiyambere, son of former international player Dieudonne Habiyambere., is one the products of Rwanda Youth Tennis Development Program whose efforts are meant to promote the sport of tennis among young talents in Rwanda. “We, the entire tennis fraternity, are all happy and proud of young players. They will go places if they continue to work hard and get the right training from the right coaches,” Program founder Joseline Umulisa told Times Sport. The tournament gives us a chance to evaluate our youngsters and prepare them for future international tournaments,” organiser Joseline Umulisa added With the victory, Habiyambere was awarded a free scholarship for the next twelve months. Jedekia Niyibizi beat Kevin Rutatisire 2-0(6-0,6-0) in the boy’s singles final to win the U12 championship while Gabon Panni thrashed Shakila Umutoni 2-0 (6-4, 6-3) to take home the final victory in the U12 girls singles. In the U-10, Kenkazi Akimani (KIKI) beat Fidela Sheja 2-0 (6-3, 6-2) to win the girls singles. Rwanda Youth Tennis Development Program targets players aged between nine and 14 years in efforts to create a new generation of talented tennis players by 2026. Through the initiative, Umulisa is on a mission to make Tennis a popular game in Rwanda by investing a lot in youth. The program has selected young tennis players and will be taking them through a series of holiday training camps, beginning with the upcoming short school holidays in January.
