Rwanda Open champion Max Houkes has praised Dev Javia for his fighting spirit after defeating the Indian in a thrilling final to retain the M25 Kigali title on Sunday.

The final, played at the RP Kigali/Kicukiro Ecology Tennis Court, was interrupted twice by rain before Houkes secured a 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-5 victory after two hours and 43 minutes.

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The 26-year-old Dutchman successfully defended the title he won in 2025, when he defeated Morocco’s Yassine Dlimi in three sets at the same venue.

Houkes dominated the opening set, winning 6-2, but Javia responded strongly to take the second set in a tiebreak, 7-6(4), keeping alive his hopes of claiming the first M25 title of his career.

With the deciding set finely poised at 5-5, Houkes held his nerve to move ahead 6-5 before breaking Javia’s serve to seal the title.

Speaking after the match, Houkes credited Javia for his performance throughout the tournament, particularly during their hard-fought final.

"I’m very happy to win the title again. It was a close game. My opponent played really well in the second half of the second set, and it was a good battle,” Houkes said.

After falling in the semifinals during the first week to Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Lock, Houkes returned for the second week determined to reclaim the title.

His campaign initially appeared relatively straightforward, particularly after South Africa’s Alec Beckley retired with a hip injury during their quarterfinal encounter.

However, the challenge grew tougher as Houkes advanced towards the final, with a series of closely contested matches testing his resilience.

In the semifinals, he faced Frenchman Calvin Hemery, who was seeking another final appearance after winning the opening week’s title. Houkes eventually prevailed in three sets to book his place in the final against Javia.

The Dutchman then completed his title defence with another hard-fought victory, further cementing his impressive record at the Kigali tournament.

Looking ahead

Houkes’ triumph in Kigali earned him enough ranking points to secure a place in the Australian Open qualifying competition for January 2027, marking another step in his pursuit of opportunities to compete at the highest level.

The world No. 226 also praised the growth of the Rwanda Open, saying his repeated visits had allowed him to witness the tournament’s development over the years.

"Playing here is always a great opportunity for me. Over the past editions, I have seen steady progress and how much the Rwanda Open has grown,” he said.

Despite having visited Kigali four times, Houkes revealed that he had yet to find time to explore Rwanda, a country he remains eager to discover.

He will instead return to the Netherlands for a short break before travelling to Catania, Italy, to compete in a Challenger 50 tournament.