By Victor Kanayo
Africa’s top table tennis talents have clinched their places in the 2025 ITTF World Cup by advancing to the semi-finals of the ongoing ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis.
The standout players include Quadri Aruna, Omar Assar, Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, Mariam Alhodaby, and Fatimo Bello.
Hana Goda of Egypt was the first to secure her ticket with a commanding 4-1 victory over Tunisia’s Maram Zoghlami. Following her lead, Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello also triumphed 4-1 against Tunisian teenager Ela Saidi.
Omar Assar, a five-time Africa Cup champion, faced a tougher challenge. The Egyptian was pushed to his limits by Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa in the men’s quarter-finals but ultimately prevailed 4-2 to qualify for the World Cup.
Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou earned his maiden ITTF World Cup ticket after defeating Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali 4-1 in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, nine-time African Cup champion Dina Meshref of Egypt overwhelmed Nigeria’s Aminat Fashola to secure her return to the ITTF World Cup.
Mariam Alhodaby added a third ticket for Egypt with a dominant 4-0 win over Algeria’s Lynda Logrhaibi, securing her place in Macao, China.
It was smooth sailing for Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, who defeated Côte d’Ivoire’s Oba Oba Kizito 4-0 to return as a regular face at the ITTF World Cup. Cameroon’s Ylane Batix also secured his maiden ticket to the ITTF World Cup after a 4-2 victory over Madagascar’s Antoine Razafinarivo in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, Aruna will face Batix, while Assar will compete against Salifou in the Men’s Singles. In the Women’s Singles semi-finals, Goda will battle Bello, and Meshref will take on Alhodaby in the race to the podium in Tunis.
