The defending champions, Quadri Aruna and Dina Meshref of Egypt, along with Egypt’s Omar Assar and Hana Goda, delivered flawless performances at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup.
They advanced to the knockout stage of the prestigious tournament, holding in Tunisia.
Aruna dominated his preliminary matches, securing convincing 3-0 victories against Tunisia’s Myshaal Sabhi and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou.
Meshref maintained her dominance, smoothly advancing to the second round.
A statement from the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) on Tuesday confirmed that Assar, Goda, and Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo secured their places in the knockout round.
Meanwhile, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu stunned Tunisian fans with a 3-1 victory over local favourite Wassim Essid.
In a surprising turn, Egypt’s third seed, Mohamed El-Beiali, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Madagascar’s Antonie Razafinarivo.
Ethiopia’s Darara Mokonen Dufera, the only top seed to exit in the first round, bowed out after suffering two defeats.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes are on the semifinalists, who will qualify for the ITTF World Cup. The decisive matches will take place on Wednesday.
The ITTF praised Tunisia for its exceptional organisational skills during the Tuesday opening ceremony.
Petra Sörling, ITTF President, commended Tunisia for hosting top-class tournaments in Africa and for its excellent event management on a global scale.
In his welcome address, Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF) President, Lotfi Guerfel, expressed gratitude to ITTF Africa’s leadership for awarding Tunisia the hosting rights.
He assured all visitors of a warm and hospitable stay during the tournament.
ITTF Africa President Wahid Oshodi also lauded the TTTF for setting high standards in event organisation.
“We are privileged to collaborate with the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF), whose active participation in ITTF Africa’s initiatives sets a high benchmark for hosting and promoting the sport.
“Their commitment to sharing their rich culture and warmly welcoming athletes, officials, and fans from across Africa adds special significance to this tournament.
“Events like this highlight both our diversity and shared passion, strengthening the bonds within our table tennis community,” Oshodi said.
Over 50 players, including 29 men and 21 women, are competing in the three-day tournament.
Participants represent Algeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Congo DR, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ethiopia.
Other competing nations include Ghana, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia.
This event also serves as a qualifier for the ITTF World Cup. Semifinalists in both the men’s and women’s events will secure their places at the global tournament in China. (NAN)
