Table Tennis
ARUNA QUADRI HOPES FOR HOME SUCCESS AT ITTF AFRICA CUP
BY DANIEL ETCHELLS
Home favourite Quadri Aruna is seeded first in the men’s singles draw as he aims to regain the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup title in Nigerian city Lagos, where action is due to begin this Saturday.
The winner of both the men’s and women’s singles events will secure a place at the respective ITTF World Cups, scheduled to take place in Chengdu in China later this year.
Aruna is aiming for his sixth ITTF World Cup appearance but is likely to face a strong challenge from second seed Ahmed Saleh and third seed Omar Assar, both of whom are from Egypt.
Saleh has a total of five ITTF World Cup appearances to his name, with the first being in 1998 in Shantou in China and the most recent in 2011 in Paris.
Approaching his 40th birthday, he is one of the most experienced players on duty in Lagos.
Assar, meanwhile, is going in search of his third ITTF Africa Cup title and his third ITTF World Cup appearance.
He and Aruna have played each other in the five most recent editions of the continental tournament.
All the meetings have come in finals, with the exception of 2015 in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé where Assar prevailed in the semi-finals before going onto claim the title.
He repeated the success last year, winning in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, while Aruna triumphed in 2014 in Lagos, in 2016 in Sudan’s capital Khartoum and in 2017 in Moroccan city Agadir.
Fourth-seeded Nigerian Segun Toriola, who will celebrate his 45th birthday next month, is also expected to be in contention for glory.
The winner of the ITTF Africa Cup title in 2008 in Conga’s capital Brazzaville, Toriola has made four ITTF World Cup appearances with his first in 1996 in French city Nîmes and the latest in 2008 in Belgian city Liège.
“I don’t think I will be under any pressure playing in Lagos particularly with the support from the fans,” Aruna said.
“I am ready to compete against anybody because I will always want to make my country proud.
“There is no doubt that it is going to be tough because everybody is playing well now.”
In the women’s singles event, Egypt’s Dina Meshref will be looking to defend her title.
The American University in Cairo graduate is the only African female player to be ranked in the world’s top 60, currently occupying 49th spot.
“I will just try to give my best as I am trying to prepare well for the competition,” Meshref, who has competed in the last four ITTF World Cups, said.
“Of course it won’t be easy in Lagos.
“I expect all players to be very well prepared for such an event, especially as it’s a few days prior to another important event (the 2019 African Games in Morocco’s capital Rabat).
“I consider all players competing in the event as my potential rivals and strong competition.”
The two venues listed as being used for the event are the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall and the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
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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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