Rwanda’s women’s national tennis team will remain in the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group IV after finishing fourth in the 2026 tournament in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and missing out on promotion to Group III.
The Africa Group IV competition was held from August 12 to 15, with Rwanda competing in Zone B alongside hosts Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique.
Rwanda’s team comprised Umumararungu Gisèle, Tuyishimire Rona, Nishimwe Carine and Tuyishime Sonia.
The Rwandan side opened its campaign on a positive note, defeating Mozambique 2-1.
However, the team’s hopes of securing promotion suffered a setback in its second group tie after it was beaten 3-0 by Côte d’Ivoire.
The result left Rwanda second in its group and out of contention for the promotion decider.
Rwanda then faced Ethiopia in the playoff for third place but lost 2-0, finishing fourth in Zone B.
Benin secured the promotion ticket from the zone after defeating Côte d’Ivoire 2-1.
The final Zone B standings saw Benin finish first, Côte d’Ivoire second, Ethiopia third, Rwanda fourth, Lesotho fifth and Mozambique sixth.
In Zone A, Togo earned the other promotion place after defeating the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-0 in the final.
Zambia finished third, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Seychelles.
The Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III competition is scheduled for 2027, while Rwanda will return to Group IV and seek another opportunity to earn promotion.
The result means Rwanda will have to wait another year for a chance to move up the African tennis ladder.
