Top seed and defending champion David Oringa was forceful as he dispatched Rwanda’s Olivier Nkunda, and seed number six 6-1,6-2 to storm tomorrow’s semi-finals at the Castle Lite Uganda Tennis Open at Kampala Club.
It was sweet revenge for the towering Ugandan,who had previously lost to his opponent last year at the Rwanda Prize Money Circuit enroute to the semi-finals Oringa used a powerful baseline return and serve to see off his opponent.
“He is always a tough opponent to play and am happy that I beat him today infront of my people,” Oringa said after his win.”I am looking forward to my semi-final game tomorrow and I really don’t care who I meet.”
Oringa will meet Rwanda’s seed four Dieu Donne Habiyambere in the semi-finals after he ejected Henry Muyanja 6-3,6-4.
2011 Uganda Open winner and seed three Duncan Mugabe beat seed 8 Moses Otiti 6-2,6-2 to set up a nail-biting semi-final berth with Rwanda’s seed two Jean Claude Gasigwa who overcame his compatriot Mubarak Harerimana 6-1,6-0.
Seed one Shufaa Changawa from Kenya easily beat Uganda’s Margaret Nantongo in straight sets 6-0,6-0 in the quarter-finals to set herself up against Zimbabwe’s Faozai Mawisire seed four who overcame Kenya’s Joie Keter 6-2,6-0 while Rwanda’s Megan Ingabire seed three dispatched Viola Akuma 6-1,6-0 while Seed two Tanzania’s Rehema Athumani beat Bukale Mukombwe of Zimbabwe 6-3,6-1.
Nile Breweries under their label Castle Lite has sponsored the biggest tennis event on the local calendar to a tune of 40 million shillings with 20.5 million going into prize money. The other sponsors of the week long tournament are Housing Finance Bank.
Castle Lite Uganda Tennis Open
Tomorrow
Semi-finals
Men’s
D.Oringa vs D.Habiyambere
D.Mugabe vs JC Gasigwa
Ladies
S.Changawa vs F.Mawisire
R.Athumani vs M.Ingabire