Twenty-one-year-old Claude Ishimwe defeated domestic rival Etienne Niyigena in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to reach the second round of the Rwanda Open at the RP Kigali/Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Court on Tuesday, October 6.
The victory makes Ishimwe the first Rwandan player to reach the second round of an M25 event. No Rwandan had progressed beyond the opening round of an M25 tournament since Kigali began hosting the World Tennis Tour event in 2023.
Ishimwe dominated the opening set, saving two break points as he raced to a 6-1 victory in just 25 minutes.
Niyigena raised his level in the second set, but Ishimwe remained composed, converting a break point before eventually winning the set 6-4 to seal a historic victory.
The win also earned Ishimwe his first ATP ranking point, an achievement he described as "one of the best moments of my career.”
"I tried so many times to progress to the next round, but it didn’t work out. At times, I felt I was going to give up, but I kept pushing and, finally, here I am,” Ishimwe said.
"I dedicate this win to all Rwandans, my coach Aimable Ndejuru, my sponsors and my parents,” he added.
Ishimwe will next face either second seed Florent Bax or India’s Anup Bangargi.
The day’s longest match saw seventh seed Marlon Vankan overcome Zimbabwean John Lock in a three-set battle lasting two hours and 38 minutes. Vankan won the opening-set tiebreak 7-4 before Lock responded with a 6-2 victory in the second set. Vankan recovered in the decider, winning 6-4 to book his place in the second round.
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Kenyan Kael Shalin Shah also advanced to the second round after defeating Morocco’s Lenny Petit 7-5, 6-4. Fourth seed Corentin Denolly cruised past India’s Caheer Warik 6-0, 6-4, while South Africa’s Alex Beckley defeated American Axel Nefve 6-3, 6-4.
Israeli Yshai Oliel endured another gruelling encounter, taking two hours and 27 minutes to overcome Dutchman Louis Herck 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Fifth seed Toufik Sahtali defeated Canadian Chetanna Amadika 6-3, 7-6(5), while American Preston Brown beat Darrshan Suresh 6-3, 7-5.
Meanwhile, India’s Dev Javia secured a straight-sets victory over Mexico’s Rafael De Alba, winning 6-1, 6-4.
The second week’s first-round action continues on Wednesday, October 7, with several seeded players set to take to the court.
Wednesday’s fixtures
Max Houkes vs Rodrigo Alujas
Calvin Hemery vs Niklas Grunewald
Lawrence Bataljin vs Benjamin Lock
Noah Schachter vs Allan Gatoto
Lucas Franca vs Yash Chaurasia
Florent Bax vs Anup Bangargi