Defending champions Quadri Aruna of Nigeria and Dina Meshref of Egypt, alongside Egypt’s Omar Assar and Hana Goda, delivered outstanding performances at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, progressing to the knockout stages of the prestigious tournament.
Aruna was in dominant form, securing convincing 3-0 wins over Tunisia’s Myshaal Sabhi and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou in his preliminary matches. Meshref continued her strong run, advancing smoothly to the second round.
Assar, Goda, and Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo also clinched their places in the knockout round. In a surprising result, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu stunned the home crowd, defeating Tunisia’s Wassim Essid 3-1. However, Egypt’s third seed, Mohamed El-Beiali, was eliminated with a 3-0 loss to Madagascar’s Antonie Razafinarivo. Ethiopia’s Darara Mokonen Dufera, the only top seed to exit in the first round, bowed out after two defeats.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes are on the semi-finalists who will secure spots at the ITTF World Cup. The decisive matches will take place on Wednesday, February 26.
The ITTF has praised Tunisia for its exceptional event organization. During the opening ceremony on Tuesday, February 25, ITTF President Petra Sorling commended Tunisia for hosting top-class tournaments in Africa and among the best-organized events globally.
In his welcome address, the President of the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF), Lotfi Guerfel, expressed gratitude to ITTF Africa for awarding the hosting rights to Tunisia, assuring all visitors of a warm and welcoming stay throughout the tournament.
Wahid Enitan Oshodi, President of ITTF Africa, also praised the TTTF for setting high standards in event organization. “We are especially privileged to collaborate with the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF), whose active participation in ITTF Africa’s initiatives sets a high standard for hosting and promoting the sport,” he said. “Their commitment to sharing their rich culture and warmly welcoming athletes, officials, and fans from across Africa adds a special significance to this tournament. Events like this highlight both our diversity and shared passion, strengthening the bonds within our table tennis community,” Oshodi added.
Over 50 players from Algeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Congo DR, Congo Brazzaville, Côte D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia are competing in the three-day tournament. This event also serves as a qualifier for the ITTF World Cup, with semi-finalists in both the men’s and women’s events securing their spots in the global tournament in China.
