Wheelchair tennis duo Emmanuel Hakizimana and Yvonne Imaniragena were on Friday, June 23, crowned champions of the just-concluded 2023 Wheelchair Tennis National Tournament after beating Ernest Ndayishimiye and Yvonne Imanishimwe respectively in the final to clinch the title in men and women’s categories. The tournament, held at Kigali Ecology Tennis Club, attracted 23 wheelchair tennis players including 11 women and 12 men. Kigali was the most represented with 19 players while Musanze and Rwamagana had two representatives each. Hakizimana won the title after coming from a set down to beat Ndayishimye 3-1 (4-6 6-3 14-12) in the men's final while Yvonne Imanishimwe took home the women’s crown after beating Yvonne Imanishimwe 2-0 (7-5 6-4). Wheelchair tennis has been added in the forthcoming Davis Cup 2023 that will take place in Kigali from July 26-29 and Rwanda Tennis Federation president Theoneste Karenzi believes the newly-crowned champions have shown a good level of their performance which he hopes will help them perform well when Davis Cup comes to Kigali. “This tournament has really shown us how good they are in the sport. They have been pretty good on the court and I am happy with their level of performance. We will keep getting more competitions for them so they can improve their performance,” Karenzi said.
