Article
14 Jun 2021
Iradukunda delivers another milestone for Burundian tennis
14 Jun 2021
Are we about to hear a lot more about Burundian tennis?
The sole Burundian man to hold an ATP ranking, Guy Orly Iradukunda, enjoyed a landmark week as he claimed his first professional singles title at M15 Monastir.
Success for 25-year-old Iradukunda, who defeated Argentine Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna 6-2 4-6 7-6(2) in the title match in Tunisia in his fourth deciding set triumph of the week, comes off the back of positive strides made by his countrywoman, 20-year-old Sada Nahimana, on the ITF World Tennis Tour in recent months.
Nahimana, the only Burundian woman with a WTA ranking, won both the singles and doubles titles at a professional tournament for the first time in Antalya in late April and is edging towards the Top 400 with her performances in ITF tournaments.
Iradukunda appears intent on following suit. His Monastir victory took him to No. 789 in the ATP rankings – though he has been as high as No. 610 – after adding a singles triumph to the four doubles titles that are already sitting in his trophy cabinet.
Elsewhere on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week, there were titles for American Govind Nanda, Nicolas Kicker (ARG), Miljan Zekic (SRB), Gonzalo Lama (CHI), Mats Rosenkranz (GER) and Yuki Mochizuki (JPN).
For the latest results on the ITF World Tennis Tour, follow the live scores here.