Mugabe, Oringa left cursing after Open miss

The two Ugandans failed to keep the title home for only the fourth consecutive year after a 14-year foreign legion stranglehold that was halted by Mugabe in 2010.

As the Rwandans celebrated and partied hard at the end of Castle Lite Uganda Tennis Open at Kampala Club yesterday, the Ugandans were sharing commiserations after an insipid display.

Two Rwandans Dieudonne Habiyambere and Jean Claude Gasigwa stormed the Ugandan party by eliminating defending champion David Oringa and two-time winner Duncan Mugabe in the men’s singles semifinals on Friday. “I feel like a mother whose son has been poisoned by her husband’s side dish,” Mugabe posted on his Facebook page soon after his controversy-filled 6-4 7-6(8-6) straight sets loss to Gasigwa.

Mugabe, the most decorated tennis player of this generation, couldn’t have made his feelings known any better. It was the first time he had lost a set and more so a match since the tournament started last Saturday. He was like a woman scorned.

But it was unfortunate he tried to mask his defeat in a few poor calls made by umpire Henry Kizza. The 22-year-old Ugandan was largely poor on the day as he failed to counter Gasigwa’s serve and made many unforced errors.

“I came out strong to make a statement,” said Gasigwa, who won the 2009 Open but lost to Oringa in last year’s quarters. “When I took the first set, I never rested because I sensed that he was tired and unfit. And although he is a good player, the pressure became too much for him (Mugabe) to handle.”

Oringa’s post was simple; “The nightmare of the Uganda Open,” he wrote on his wall. The 19-year-old defending champion was outfoxed by a resilient Habiyambere under 80 minutes 6-3 6-3.

“They rallied a lot but the Rwandan came out stronger,” said tournament referee and Uganda tennis legend John Oduke, who also remarked that he had been impressed by the standards exhibited by all the players.

“Oringa has defeated the Rwandan before in Kigali but he was ill-advised to play from the baseline. He also thought it would be an easy game.

“It is a disappointment for the country to lose the title but may be the guys will learn some lessons.” Castle Lite injected Shs40m in the prestigious tournament.

indawula@ug.nationmedia.com