As Kigali prepares to become the first African city to host the Billie Jean King Cup, Rwanda Tennis Federation (FRT) President Theoneste Karenzi has said that everything is in place, promising a successful tournament.
A total of 11 African countries have confirmed their participation at the Billie Jean King Cup 2023 which is coming to the African continent for the first time.
They include Angola, Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Rwanda who won the hosting rights for the tournament’s inaugural edition from June 5-10 at Kigali Ecology Tennis Club (IPRC-Kigali).
All teams from participating countries arrived in the country since Friday and are ready to showcase quality tennis at the IPRC-Kigali based clay tennis courts.
Rwanda will be represented by five female players namely skipper Oliver Tuyisenge, Chantal Mutuyimana, Gisele Umumararungu, Grace Gisubizo Ndahunga and Sonia Tuyishime.
Times Sports takes you through what you need to know about the players.
Olive Tuyisenge
The 24-year-old has been a regular national team in various age categories since she got her debut selection in 2010.
Tuyisenge represented Rwanda at the 2012 African Junior Championships (AJC) held in Botswana. She went back to the same country two years later for the 2014 Youth Games.
She is fresh from the 2023 ITF W25 that took place in Bujumbura, Burundi from April 10-16 where she was knocked out in the first round of the tournament by Ukrainian ValeriyaStrakhova on 2-0 (0-6, 0-6).
Tuyisenge will be making her second Billie Jean King Cup appearance after representing Rwanda in the 2021 edition in Lithuanian. She now returns as the team captain.
Chantal Mutuyimana
Mutuyimana, 24, has been playing for the national women’s Tennis team over the past decade.
She featured for Rwanda in all international junior tournaments, mainly African Junior Championships, from 14 and Under,18 and Under.
She is making her debut appearance in the Billie Jean King Cup, having represented Rwanda in 19 various international tournaments.
Gisele Umumararungu
A national team player since her debut appearance in 2006, Umumararungu is one of Rwanda’s experienced female tennis players at 27 years.
She featured for the Rwandan team in various age categories namely Under 12, under 14, under 16 and under 18 in all ITF tournaments that the country participated in over the years including All African junior championship and All African Games.
Like her skipper Tuyisenge, Umumararungu is preparing to play her second Billie Jean King Cup competition after Lithuania in 2021.
Grace Gisubizo Ndahunga
At just 20, Ndahunga is the youngest player in the Rwandan squad for the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup in Kigali alongside her teammate Sonia Tuyishime.
The Tennis hopeful made her national debut in 2012 aged just nine.
She represented Rwanda in e all junior international tournaments from under 12 to under 16, and UAJC from under 14 to under 16.
Sonia Tuyishime
Tuyishime started to play for the national team in 2016 where she featured for Rwanda in all junior tournaments from under 16 for two years.
She was the youngest in the Rwandan squad that played the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup in 2021 in Lithuania aged at just 18.
The 20-year-old is now back to fight for the same crown at her home clay after she struggled in Lithuania.
She also previously took part in the W15 and W25 women world tennis tour tournaments.
The latest she took part in is the W25 Bujumbura test in April where she was eliminated in the first round by Germany’s Jasmin Jebawy who beat her 2-0 (6-0, 6-0).