Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri and Egypt’s Goda are champions of Africa

Quadri Aruna of Nigeria has retained his title in the men’s singles of the 2023 ITTF African Championships after beating Ahmed Saleh of Egypt in the final match played on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

Also, Egyptian teenage sensation, Hana Goda, dethroned her compatriot Dina Meshref to claim the women’s singles title on the same day in Tunis, the Tunisian capital.

Aruna, who is the tournament’s number one seed, overwhelmed Saleh in the final clash with a convincing 4-0 win to hold on to the title he won last year in Algeria.

Two-time Africa Cup champion Goda was also at her best against defending champion Meshref with another inspiring 4-1 win in the final encounter of the women’s singles.

There were mixed feelings for Aruna in Tunis, having missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket through injury at the same venue.

“I am happy with the title because I have a good and bad memory of Tunis, having got injured here during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification. Winning another title here is good to erase the bad memory. This win will remain with me for a long time. I am happy and I look forward to the next challenge,” the Nigerian said.

An excited 15-year-old Goda described the victory as “special”. “This is special especially with the support from the Tunisian fans. I will cherish this for a long time to come,” she said.