Uganda Open painted for the better

Uganda Tennis Association (UTA) feels the sport under Matthias Nalyanya is in a better place than 1000 days ago.

 The wins are on both and off the court. Perhaps, there is nothing as captivating for the local audience as the announcement of staging of the 2025 Uganda Tennis Open.

Nalyanya and his executive on Wednesday unveiled the country’s biggest tennis event which will happen for a fortnight beginning on Saturday until May 24.

“This is our premier tennis event here in Uganda. We already have entries from the whole of East Africa,” Nalyanya stated at Kampala Club.

This is the second time UTA is staging this championship after the 2023 edition. Prior, there had not been a Uganda Tennis Open in a decade.

Last year, UTA staged two big events; M25 and M15 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments at Kampala Club.

But there is hope that this stop-start affair is no more after UTA announced premium interior and exterior paints company Plascon as the tournament’s main sponsor.

“We hope that it is the start of a long relationship,” noted a happy Nalyanya. Plascon has become a permanent fixture in the country’s sports domain.

It has impacted the sector with documented relationships with clubs, tournaments and federations like Uganda Olympic Committee and across disciplines in rugby, football, cricket, netball, badminton and motorsport.

“We want to congratulate the new leadership at UTA for having been able to catch our eye and bring on board a sponsor of our pedigree,” remarked Plascon’s head of sales Moses Kato. 

“We are also majorly known now for being a leading sports brand. We are happy to have launched tennis on board and we believe this is a very good beginning with the Uganda Open. 

“The trajectory seems to be positive, that is why we also think and believe we should step forward and support. Tennis is one of the major disciplines in the world but quite underrated in Uganda,” added Kato.

Plascon contributed two thirds of the tournament’s budget where players across four categories of juniors, professionals, seniors across singles, doubles and mixed doubles will share Shs20m in prize money.

“This year’s Open is a much expanded tournament, more inclusive and more rewarding,” stated UTA vice president Daniel Kyazze, who is also the tournament’s lead organizer.

UTA is also backed up by Elitex Analytics, Jibu water, National Council of Sports (NCS) and the Ruparelia Foundation.

The championship is expected to be spiced up by a flurry of home-bred stars including top seeds David Oringa and Frank Tayebwa on the men’s front and Patience Athieno and Winnie Birungi in the ladies singles’ category.

Meanwhile, the juniors’ trio of Samuel Okello, Cosmos Munguryek and Edmond Lagara who are competing at the World Junior Tennis (WJT) Africa Qualifying championship in Cairo, Egypt, are expected to battle for the honours.  

As well as Latif Sendyowa and the teenagers Olivia Natukunda, Abigail Mulungi Nabasinga, Claire Nalubuula and Hilda Afoyirwoth, the tournament is a platform to raise stars.