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The Uganda Juniors International tournament in Kampala reached its penultimate stage on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, with Ugandan hopes pinned on the men’s and women’s doubles semifinalists.
However, the home players fell short, settling for bronze as India stamped its authority at this stage of the competition.
In the men’s doubles, Uganda’s Aaron Ndawula and Eric Ofoyuru put up an impressive fight to reach the semifinals.
The duo breezed past the UAE pair of Alwathiq Alabidi and Abdul Aziz Almuqahwi in straight sets, winning convincingly 2-0.
Their fluid coordination and aggressive net play gave fans hope for a potential shot at the title.
However, the semifinals proved to be a different test altogether. The Ugandan duo faced India’s formidable pair of Gokul Kaviarasu and Vishank Surender, who dictated play from the start.
Ndawula and Ofoyuru struggled to match the Indians’ precision and agility, eventually falling in straight sets (21-12, 21-14).
Despite the loss, their journey to the semifinals ensured a bronze medal for Uganda in the category.
On the women’s doubles front, Uganda’s Rebecca Ijuka and Claire Namirembe battled their way to the semifinals after overcoming a fellow Ugandan pair in the quarterfinals.
Their semifinal challenge, however, came against Azerbaijan’s Leyla Jamalzade and Hajar Nuriyeva, a duo that proved too strong.
The Azerbaijanis dominated the match from the outset, leaving Ijuka and Namirembe with little room to fight back.
The Ugandan pair lost 21-6, 21-4, settling for bronze as their journey ended in the last four.
It was a rough outing for Ugandan players beyond the semifinals.
Out of 26 quarterfinal slots that Ugandans occupied, only four players advanced to the semifinals, and none managed to reach the finals.
Luck was particularly cruel to Uganda’s Joan Kimberley Ssendiwala, whose partner, Batham Kaweesa, sustained an injury, forcing them to forfeit their quarterfinal match.
This handed Azerbaijan’s Ulvi Huseynov and Layla Jamalzade an easy passage to the medal bracket.
Denis Mukasa faced similar misfortune when his partner, Sudharshini Dhulupudi, failed to keep time for their match.
The walkover allowed Azerbaijan’s Amirkhan Inmanov and Hajar Nuriyeva to progress to the semifinals without lifting a racket.
With Uganda’s last hopes extinguished in the semifinals, India’s players took full control of the tournament.
Indian shuttlers won five of the semifinal matches, ensuring that the men’s singles and men’s doubles finals would be all-Indian affairs.
The final matchups, set for Wednesday, February 26, will see Niranjaan Mandakumar take on Daksha Vinoth Bindu in the men’s singles final.
In the men’s doubles final, Sachin Jhajharia and Angad Muchhal will battle Gokul Kaviarasu and Vishank Surender.
The final day’s schedule will begin at 11 AM, starting with the women’s singles final, followed by mixed doubles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, and concluding with the men’s doubles final before the awarding ceremony.
Though Uganda fell short of a finals appearance, all participants secured valuable ranking points toward qualification for the 2026 Youth Olympics.
The tournament, though dominated by India, offered Ugandan players key lessons and motivation for future competitions.
