Same Final, Different Story: Mbabazi and Lubega chase redemption at Uganda International Series

For Gladys Mbabazi and Muzafaru Lubega, the Uganda International Series 2026 final is more than just another championship match. It is a rematch. It is an opportunity to correct what went wrong a week ago.

And, perhaps most importantly, it is another chapter in a remarkable stretch of badminton that has tested both their bodies, sharpened their games and strengthened their partnership.

The Ugandan pair will today walk onto court at the Uganda International Series final carrying the country’s hopes in the mixed doubles, where they will face Hafiz Hakimi Hashim and Lim Xuan of Malaysia. Lubega and Mbabazi are ranked the top seeds against the Malaysian pair in the fifth match on Court 1.

But the significance of that pairing goes beyond the names on the draw sheet. It is the same mixed-doubles pairing that beat them in the Kampala Future Series final last week.

So, in many ways, the final at Lugogo today is the same final — only the stakes, the lessons and the confidence have changed.

Last week’s defeat has not been forgotten. Instead, Mbabazi and Lubega have used it as part of their preparation for this tournament.

Speaking after reaching the Uganda International Series semi final, Lubega reflected on the journey with humility, giving credit to Allah for helping them reach another final with Mbabazi. “Everything belongs to Allah. Allah has helped us to reach finals.”

The result also reflects how quickly the pair are developing together. Mbabazi says the more they play alongside each other, the better they understand one another including their weaknesses and the spaces each player needs to cover.

That understanding, she believes, is becoming one of their greatest weapons. “The more we keep on playing together, the more we get to know ourselves and know each other’s weaknesses, what to cover up, the loopholes.”

Gladys Mbabazi Credit: John Batanudde

That familiarity was evident throughout their Uganda International Series mixed-doubles campaign.

In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Ugandan pair produced one of their most emphatic performances of the tournament, dispatching Emmanuel Ajuna and Precious Nagawa 21-3, 21-6.

The semi-final was a completely different test. Facing Algeria’s Mohamed Abdelaziz Ouchefoun and Linda Mazri, Lubega and Mbabazi were pushed much harder, but they held their nerve in two tight games, winning 21-19, 21-19 to book their place in the final.

Two games. Two points separating the sides at the end of each game. No room for complacency. And that is precisely the kind of experience that could prove decisive against the Malaysians.

In the singles, Mbabazi’s Uganda International Series campaign has been one of remarkable workload. She entered the quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed and faced Algeria’s Yasmina Chibah. The Ugandan fought through the contest but was beaten 21-12, 21-12.

Her singles campaign therefore ended in the quarterfinals. But that was far from the end of her tournament. Mbabazi immediately continued competing in doubles.

In women’s doubles, she partnered Meble Namakoye, and the Ugandan pair opened their quarterfinal campaign in commanding fashion, defeating Robinah Bako and Vanessa Nassali 21-3, 21-2.

The semifinal, however, brought a much sterner challenge. Mbabazi and Namakoye were beaten 21-6, 21-9 by India’s Sonali Singh and Ritika Thaker.

So, by the time she reached the mixed-doubles semifinal later in the day, Mbabazi had already endured the physical and mental demands of singles and women’s doubles.

Yet she and Lubega still found another level. They won. and now she stands one match away from an international title on home soil.

Lubega’s tournament has followed a different path. His men’s doubles campaign with Reagan Micheal Nsubuga ended in the quarter-finals against India’s Manav Choudhary and Himanshu Tiwari, who won 21-17, 21-5.

But, like Mbabazi, Lubega’s tournament was not over. The mixed doubles became his main stage. With Mbabazi, he has gone from a dominant quarter-final victory to a pressure-filled semi-final win, and now into the biggest match of the tournament.

That makes today’s final particularly important: it represents the opportunity to turn a promising run into a title and, at the same time, settle unfinished business from the previous week.

Gladys Mbabazi Credit: John Batanudde Muzafaru Lubega Credit: John Batanudde

The partnership behind the run

What makes Mbabazi and Lubega dangerous is not simply their individual ability.

It is the chemistry between them. When asked what makes their partnership different from others, Lubega’s answer was simple:

“It’s the coordination and understanding each other.” And that understanding is not accidental. “We train together, Gladys and I. So, that’s why maybe we can understand each other.”

Their partnership is therefore being built both inside competition and away from it — through training, repetition, mistakes, adjustments and the growing ability to anticipate what the other player will do.

In mixed doubles, where timing and communication can decide points in fractions of a second, that relationship can be the difference between a promising pair and a winning pair.

For Mbabazi, today’s final carries a very clear message.

They know their opponents. They know what happened last time. And they know exactly what they have to improve.

“This time round, we are going to make sure that at least, because we are going to verse the other players which beat us last tournament.”

Mbabazi echoed that determination. “We are going to try to push so hard so that we can take a lead. We are going to try to cover up our loopholes to see if we can win this one as well.”

Behind the excitement though of another final is another story — one that does not appear on the scoreboard.

Fatigue! Mbabazi and Lubega have been competing almost continuously, moving from airbadminton, into the Kampala Future Series, and now the Uganda International Series.

And there is little time to recover. The East Africa Badminton Series in Kampala is already approaching. For elite athletes, constant competition can be both a blessing and a burden.

Mbabazi sees both sides. “There are always advantages and disadvantages.”

The advantage is experience. Every tournament exposes players to new opponents, different styles and higher-ranked competitors. Every difficult match becomes another lesson.

“The more you keep on playing tournaments and meeting players that are higher than your ranking, they teach you something. “The challenge is what happens to the body.

“And then the disadvantages, of course, is the fatigue.” Mbabazi also made a heartfelt appeal for greater support for Uganda’s national players, particularly through health insurance.

She explained that the desire to compete can sometimes be greater than what the body is capable of sustaining. “The mind wants to play, but the body is not doing it.”

Lubega knows that reality personally. He revealed that he was already dealing with pain in his wrist after the demanding matches. “My wrist is a bit paining me.”

He also pointed to the need for physiotherapy and medical support for athletes who are being asked to compete at this intensity.

The concerns are significant because this is not the end of their schedule. It is another beginning.

The Uganda International Series concludes today. In only a few days, the East Africa Badminton Series comes to Kampala.

And for Gladys Mbabazi and Muzafaru Lubega, the road continues. Another tournament. Another challenge. Another opportunity.

But first, there is one final to settle.

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