Frenchman Calvin Hemery claimed his first Rwanda Open M25 title on Sunday, beating Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Lock 6-3, 6-3 in the first of the tournament’s two weeks in Kigali.
Hemery, 31, controlled the final at the IPRC Kigali tennis courts, winning both sets by the same score to finish the tournament without dropping a set.
The victory came in Hemery’s first appearance at the Rwanda Open and earned him $3,600 in prize money, about 4.7 million Rwandan francs, along with 25 ATP ranking points.
The Frenchman had reached the final after beating compatriot Florent Bax 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals. Lock booked his place in the final by defeating Dutchman Max Houkes 2-1, with a 7-10, 6-3, 6-2 scoreline.
Hemery made the stronger start in Sunday’s final, putting pressure on Lock early and taking the opening set 6-3. He maintained control in the second set and secured another 6-3 win to close out the match in straight sets.
The result adds to Hemery’s international career, which includes a career-high ATP ranking of 116th in April 2018. He was ranked 321st in the world in the ATP rankings published on Sept. 21.
The first week of the Rwanda Open M25 began on Sept. 28 with 32 professional players. Rwanda had two representatives, Ishimwe Claude and Niyigena Étienne, but both were eliminated in the opening round.
In the doubles competition, Americans Axel Nefue and Noah Schachter won the title after beating Burundi’s Allan Gatoto and Kenya’s Kael Shalin Shah 6-3, 6-2.
The tournament’s second week starts Monday and runs through Oct. 11.
