ITTF NIGERIA OPEN SENSATIONS, MUSTAPHA BROTHERS GET FIRST ITTF RANKING

BY OLATOSIMI FADAHUNSI.

The future has become bright for the duo of the youngest players who featured in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) championship, Nigeria Open in Lagos last month.

Mustapha Mustapha, 10, and Mustapha Musa, 9, the two youngest players at the Nigeria Challenge Open have for the first time been ranked by the ITTF.

The Mustapha brothers, who hail from Borno State, participated at the Nigeria Open.  Their first major international competition has earned them 18 points respectively – and that has placed them on World No. 369 at the U-21 level.

They share the spot alongside 46 other players – that also include Nigeria’s Summer Qudus, Obayomi Michael and Animashaun Abayomi.

With the 194 spot, the quartet of Omeh Amadi, Solanke Azeez, Falana Tobi and Ayanwale Jamiu, the most improved local player at the last Nigeria Open are the highest-ranked Nigerian players at the U-21 level.

Meanwhile, winning the Nigeria Open was not enough for Aruna Quadri, as the Nigerian, rather, dropped four places from the previous rankings.

Aruna, who recorded a career-high of World No. 18, the first of any Nigerian at the August rankings, dropped to No. 22 at the latest ITTF rankings