Rwanda: Schwaerzler Admits Tough Transition From Hard Court to Clay in Kigali

9 March 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Eddie Nsabimana

Austria's Joel Schwaerzler admitted it was not easy adapting to Kigali's clay courts after spending several weeks competing on hard courts.

The 20-year-old arrived in Rwanda just days after losing the final to Hungary's Zsombor Piros at the Lugano Challenger in Switzerland on February 28.

Despite the quick turnaround, Schwaerzler went on to claim his first ATP Challenger title in Rwanda, defeating Italy's Stefano Napolitano in a tense final 7-6(5), 7-6(6) at the IPRC Kigali Ecology Tennis Club on Sunday.

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The victory earned the Austrian 75 ATP ranking points, which is expected to boost his position on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) global rankings.

Schwaerzler faced a tough route to the title in his second appearance in Kigali. His campaign included victories over Zdenek Kolar in the first round, top seed Marco Trungelliti in a tie-break battle, Marco Cecchinato, and finally Napolitano in the championship match.

"It was a very tough week with many close matches. I arrived on Monday coming from indoor and hard courts, so it was difficult to adapt," Schwaerzler told Times Sport.

"I had been here last year and felt great playing here. In the important moments I played good tennis, and luckily I won the title. The feeling of joy is something I cannot describe -- it's beyond amazing," he added.

What next?

Schwaerzler will now take Monday to rest before returning to action in the Rwanda Challenger 100, which begins on Tuesday, March 10.

The second week of the tournament started with the qualifying rounds on Sunday, where Rwanda's Etienne Niyigena and Claude Ishimwe were both eliminated.

"I am tired and will take Monday off to rest," Schwaerzler said.

"I will try my best and play my best tennis here. I won a match that I could have lost, so now I'm just focused on how I can win more matches next week. I will do my best."

The second week of the Rwanda Challenger will run through March 15, with all matches taking place at the IPRC Kigali Ecology Tennis Club.

Read the original article on New Times.

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