Five-time men’s singles champion Quadri Aruna showcased a flawless performance on the opening day of the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup, advancing to the knockout stage of the prestigious tournament with easy wins against Tunisia’s Myshaal Sabhi and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou.
Quadri Aruna dominated his preliminary matches, securing convincing 3-0 victories in both matches.
Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo also secured his spot in the knockout round.
Meanwhile, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu stunned the Tunisian fans with a 3-1 victory over local favourite 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 double defeats
Meanwhile, the defending champion of the women’s title, Dina Meshref of Egypt, along with Egypt’s Omar Assar and Hana Goda also advanced to the second round.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on the semi-finalists who will qualify for the ITTF World Cup, with the decisive matches taking place on Wednesday (today).
The ITTF has praised Tunisia for its exceptional organisational skills. During the opening ceremony on Tuesday, February 25, ITTF president Petra Sorling commended Tunisia for being an excellent host of top-class tournaments in Africa and among the best-organized events globally.
In his welcome address, the president of the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation, Lotfi Guerfel, expressed gratitude to the leadership of ITTF Africa for awarding the hosting rights to Tunisia and assured all visitors of a warm stay during the tournament.
President of ITTF Africa, Wahid 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, Congo DR, Congo Brazzaville, Ivory Coast, 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.
