Ten and eight years is too long for one to get his game and rhythm back in a sport that he or she once dominated Jinja’s duo of Said Mawa and Ronnie King lost their opening games at the prestigious Castle-Lite Uganda Tennis Open today at Kampala club this morning.
Eric Isingoma hard to dig deep to overcome a injured Said Mawa 3-6,6-2,6-2 in an exciting game on court two. “It’s eight year’s since I last played on a tennis court and if given a chance again I can do better,” Mawa said. “My footwork on the court is slow and it was my biggest underdoing together with the injury that I sustained on court.”
Mawa is a local professional on the local scene who has won a couple of pro golfing tournaments while King is a national amateur golfer who is soon crossing over to the professional ranks.
Seed three and 2011 Uganda Open winner Duncan Mugabe, beat King 6-1,6-1 in a game that had two players who have both had their moments on the court for Uganda’s national tennis team. “Ten year’s ago I was playing for the national team and playing well locally it feels good to return to the very courts that I dominated in my days,” King said. “I just need to work on my serve and start training for me to make a return however I have taken up Golf.”
Seed five Mubarak Harerimana, from Rwanda moved into the next round with an easy 6-0,6-1 win over Dusko Lekic on court one.
Seed two Jean Claude Gasigwa from Rwanda beat Simon Lwanjo 6-1,6-0 in a loopside game. Nile Breweries under their brand label Castle Lite have sunk 40 million Uganda shillings in the most prestigious event on the Uganda Lawn Tennis Association calendar.
This year’s event has attracted players from Rwanda,Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroun and the hosts Uganda.