After seven days of intense competition, the singles champions in the U-15 and U-19 categories of the ITTF Africa Youth Championships, will be crowned on Monday, at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana.
The continental tournament has attracted players from more than 20 African nations. Egypt dominated the team events, winning three of the four titles, while Nigeria successfully retained the U-19 boys’ crown.
In the boys’ U-15 singles, Nigeria’s Umar Ayoola and Joshua Samson advanced to the semifinals after stunning top seeds in the quarterfinals. Samson produced the biggest upset with a commanding 3-0 victory over Uganda’s No. 1 seed, Joseph Sebantidinra, while Ayoola edged Egypt’s No. 3 seed,
Ahmed Elsabbagh, 3-1. Egypt’s second seed, Asser Sameh, rallied from a game down to defeat Togo’s Ganiou Abdourahman 3-1, while Tunisia’s Amine Amori overcame Egypt’s Mohamed Kosba in a tense 3-2 battle. Sameh and Amori will meet in the second semifinal.
In the girls’ U-15 singles, Nigeria’s Aishat Rabiu defeated Algeria’s Assil Sarri 3-1, setting up a semifinal clash with Tunisia’s top seed, Ela Saidi, who overcame Egypt’s Daleela Maghoub 3-1.
Egypt’s Malak Zaki cruised past Tunisia’s Elee Abassi 3-0, while Uganda’s Patience Ayango edged Nigeria’s Aziza Sezuo 3-2. Zaki will face Ayango in the second semifinal.
Uganda’s Jemimah Nakawala, who shocked Egypt’s No. 1 seed Yara Elbadawy with a 4-1 victory in the round of 16, expressed confidence in her chances.
Nigeria, however, will miss out in the U-19 singles semifinals after Sultan Agunbiade, Matthew Fabunmi, and Matthew Kuti fell to Egyptian and Tunisian opponents in the quarterfinals.
Kuti, seeded second, lost 4-2 to Abdelmalk Elsayed, while Fabunmi was defeated 4-0 by Yassin Gaber. Agunbiade, despite an early scare against Tunisia’s top seed Wassim Essid, eventually surrendered 4-1.
The U-19 boys’ semifinals will feature an all-Tunisian clash between the Essid brothers, while Egyptian compatriots Gaber and Elsayed will battle for the second final slot.
President of the African Table Tennis Federation, Wahid Oshodi, praised the high standard of play at this year’s edition.
“We now have more players performing at a very high level, which makes the tournament more competitive,” Oshodi remarked.
“Our member associations must be commended for their investment in the players, and we hope that some of these athletes will become stars in the near future.”
