Table Tennis
BATTLE FOR TABLE TENNIS TOP SPOTS HEAT UP TUNIS
The cold weather in Tunis may changed on Tuesday February 25 when the heavyweights at the 2020 ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup continue their race for the top spots at the two-day continental championship.
Rades Multi-Purpose Hall will be stage when the knockout round of the tournament starts with all eyes on Aruna Quadri of Nigeria, Egypt’s Omar Assar, Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw as well as 2019 African Games gold medalist, Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo in the men’s singles.
Also, Dina Meshref of Egypt will have to be at her best if she hopes to hold on to her title in the women’s singles against the likes of Offiong Edem of Nigeria and Sarah Hanffou of Cameroun.
From the first stage of the tournament, majority of the top seeds worked their way into the knockout stage except Algeria’s Sami Kherouf who ended his campaign after losing to Tunisia’s Adam Hmam in the final group tie.
To kick-start the tournament on Monday February 24, a colourful mix of music highlighted the opening ceremony as 17 African countries showed up at the event.
The Tunisian National Police Band kicked off the occasion with a rhythmic march past blended with their sonorous musical presentation to welcome guests to the brief but colourful event.
The presentation of teams’ flags by young Tunisian also added glamour to the event as the flagbearers were regal in their flowing traditional Tunisian attire.
The icing on the cake was the choreography presentation from an Ivorian group, which thrilled the fans with their synchronized display mounted against the background of a fusion of modern and traditional music, which made exciting watch.
Also, Kenyan Brian Mutua became the cynosure of all eyes in Tunis as the 21-year-old showed that he is a good learner after he humbled one of Africa’s veterans, South Africa’s Shane Overmeyer, in the second round of the men’s singles tie.
The Physical Sciences undergraduate of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology showed that he has come of age as he fought back from behind to claim a 3-2 victory against the 40-year-old South African.
Mutua has this to say about his upset: “Despite winning the first game, I never believe I could defeat Overmeyer because I knew him as one of the continent’s experienced players having watched him played in 2018 in Nairobi.
“In the third game, I was leading but he caught up with me to win the game. But when I was able to win the fourth game for the match to tie at 2-2, I started having a positive mind that I could win.
“I ensured I reduced my errors which caused my first loss to the Togolese. Also, I vary my service and this really helped me a lot in the tie.”
The Kenyan rising star added: “One thing I have learnt from playing against some of the top players is that a good player should not be bothered by the pedigree of his opponent.
“Just focus on the game because in table tennis, anything can happen on table. In the game against Overmeyer, I forgot about who he is and just played my game. I am so happy that what happened to me two years ago has been averted here in Tunis and I hope I will continue to improve from here.”
Table Tennis
Nigeria, Togo Set to Defend Titles at 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships in Lagos
Defending champions Nigeria and Togo are gearing up to retain their titles at the 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships, scheduled to take place from July 16 to 19 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Nigeria, the region’s most decorated team, will defend its women’s team title, which it retained in Lomé last year. Meanwhile, Togo will aim to secure a second consecutive men’s team title, following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Nigeria in the 2024 final.
This year’s championship will feature strong competition from across the region, with Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger Republic, and Sierra Leone joining the fray.
In the singles events, Nigeria’s top-ranked player, Matthew Kuti, will defend his men’s singles title. Kuti made history last year in Lomé by defeating Côte d’Ivoire’s Oba Oba Kizito 4-1 to claim his first regional crown. A repeat victory would make him the first male player to win back-to-back singles titles in the tournament’s history.
The women’s singles title is open for the taking following the absence of reigning champion Hope Udoaka of Nigeria, setting the stage for a new champion to emerge.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 African Championships, to be held later this year in Rwanda. With the advantage of home support and the largest player contingent, Nigeria is also eyeing a return to the top in the men’s team event.
Participation has reached a new high, with over 10 countries confirmed, surpassing previous editions that peaked at nine. Notably, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Niger Republic are returning to the competition after years of absence.
“All eyes will be on Nigeria,” said Ferdinand Sonou, Vice President of ITTF Africa West Region and former President of the Benin Table Tennis Federation. “Nigeria has a proven track record of hosting international competitions, and teams always look forward to playing here. This tournament marks the beginning of a series of international events in Lagos, and I believe we’ll witness the emergence of new stars alongside the established ones.”
Sonou also commended ITTF Africa President Wahid Enitan Oshodi for his continued support, noting that the increased number of participating teams reflects the growing strength of table tennis in the region.
The 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships promise high-stakes action, intense rivalries, and a celebration of West African table tennis excellence.
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Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Hana Goda are among the elite players set to compete at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025, taking place in Slovenia.
The WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 boasts a prize pool of $300,000 and offers valuable ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points.
The singles champions will receive $17,000 and 600 points, while the doubles champions will take home $5,500 and 600 points.
This highly anticipated event, hosted at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, has attracted a star-studded lineup of table tennis greats.
Aruna, currently ranked 24th in the world and the highest-ranked African player, is seeded No. 14 in the men’s singles and has received a bye into the second round (last 32). He is expected to face the winner between Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and China’s Xu Haidong on Friday, June 20.
Similarly, Goda, seeded No. 15 in the women’s singles, also received a bye into the second round. She is set to face the winner between Japan’s Sakura Yokoi and South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui.
Some of the world’s best players will battle it out over five events in what promises to be a week-long table tennis spectacle.
Leading the charge in the men’s singles is Brazilian star and 2025 World Championships runner-up, Hugo Calderano.
Known as the “Thrill from Brazil,” Calderano returns to Slovenia with bold ambition, looking to defend his title from last year’s triumph.
Joining him are global heavyweights including Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, winner of the Men’s Singles title at WTT Star Contender Doha 2025; Felix Lebrun, champion at WTT Champions Montpellier 2024; and Slovenian home favourite Darko Jorgic.
In the women’s singles, Japan’s Miwa Harimoto headlines the field after claiming the title at WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. Her compatriot Hina Hayata is also back to defend her title from last year’s Ljubljana tournament.
Other strong contenders include South Korea’s Shin Yubin, seeking her first WTT Star Contender title, as well as Romania’s Bernadette Szocs and China’s Qian Tianyi, both of whom are expected to make deep runs in the competition
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Participants in the table tennis event of the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games 2024, will be vying for a total of 46 gold medals up for grabs.
The table tennis competition features athletes across three categories: able-bodied, para-athletes, and deaf athletes. Seven gold medals are available in the able-bodied category, while deaf athletes will contest for five gold medals. Para-athletes will compete for a whopping 34 gold medals across various events, including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events.
In the able-bodied category, athletes will compete in singles (for men and women), doubles (for men and women), mixed doubles, and team events (for men and women). Deaf athletes will contest in singles (men and women), doubles (men and women), and mixed doubles.
Para-athletes will participate in four team events—men’s classes 1–5 and 6–10, and women’s classes 1–5 and 6–10. There will also be 18 singles events for men and women, eight doubles events, and four mixed doubles events.
Delta State dominates the seeding lists for both able-bodied and para-athlete categories. Fatimo Bello of Delta State is the top seed in the women’s singles, while Bayelsa’s Olajide Omotayo leads the men’s singles. Lagos and Oyo States top the seedings in the deaf singles events.
According to the tournament referee, Ranti Lajide, this year’s tournament promises to be thrilling, especially with the inclusion of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
“Lajide said: “We are going to witness top-class table tennis, especially from players who recently featured in the ITTF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
“The knockout format of this year’s tournament will make it even more exciting and competitive. I hope we can conclude all matches before the closing ceremony on May 29,” Ranti said.
“The turnout of teams has been impressive, even from states that haven’t traditionally featured in the table tennis events of the NSF. Beyond the medals, I believe the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) will be able to discover new talents for future development,” he added.
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