Table Tennis: Victorious start for Aruna, Meshref as 2025 ITTF Africa Cup begins in Tunisia

By Olaolu Joseph

Defending champions Aruna Quadri of Nigeria and Dina Meshref of Egypt began their title defense on winning notes as the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup commenced on Tuesday.

Apart from the defending champions, superstars Omar Assar, Olajide Omotayo, and Hana Goda delivered flawless performances, advancing to the knockout stage of the prestigious tournament.

Aruna dominated his preliminary matches, securing convincing 3-0 victories against Tunisia’s Myshaal Sabhi and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou.

Meshref also continued her dominance, smoothly advancing to the second round.

Assar, Goda, and Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo all secured their spots in the knockout round.

Meanwhile, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu stunned the Tunisian fans with a 3-1 victory over local favorite Wassim Essid.

In a surprising turn of events, Egypt’s third seed, Mohamed El-Beiali, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Madagascar’s Antonie Razafinarivo.

Ethiopia’s Darara Mokonen Dufera, the only top seed to exit in the first round, bowed out after consecutive defeats.

As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on the semifinalists, who will qualify for the ITTF World Cup, with the decisive matches taking place tomorrow (Wednesday).

Meanwhile, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has applauded hosts Tunisia for their excellent organization of the tournament.

Speaking during the opening ceremony on Tuesday, ITTF President Petra Sorling commended Tunisia for successfully hosting the event.

In his welcome address, the President of the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF), Lotfi Guerfel, expressed gratitude to the leadership of ITTF Africa for awarding the hosting rights to Tunisia and assured all visitors of a warm and enjoyable stay during the tournament.

President of ITTF Africa, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, also lauded 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.

“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 said.

Over 50 players, comprising 29 men and 21 women from Algeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, DR Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia, are participating in the three-day tournament.

This event also serves as a qualifier for the ITTF World Cup, with semifinalists in the men’s and women’s events securing their tickets to the global tournament in China.