Newly crowned ITTF Africa Cup champions Omar Assar and Hana Goda headline the African stars set to compete at the prestigious Singapore Smash, taking place from February 19th – 1st March, 2026, in Singapore.
Assar recorded a Round of 16 finish in Singapore two years ago and will be seeking an improved result following his early exit in 2025.
Since making her debut at just 15 years old in 2023, Hana Goda has become a regular fixture at the Singapore Smash, securing notable victories along the way. The youngster will once again begin her campaign in the main draw, alongside Assar.
They will be joined by Quadri Aruna, who holds the continent’s best result at the event.
The Nigerian reached the quarterfinals in 2023, defeating world No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto 3–0 in the Round of 16 before falling to Hugo Calderano. He will be joined in the main draw by Egypt’s Youssef Abdel Aziz.
Following his exceptional performance in Benghazi, which earned him a World Cup ticket and a leap into Africa’s top four, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa will be aiming to continue his momentum when he faces Spain’s Álvaro Robles in the qualifiers.
Other African hopefuls, including Wassim Essid, Mohammed El‑Beali, Abdel‑Kader Salifou, and Ylane Batix, will also begin their campaigns in the qualifying rounds.
In the women’s singles, Egypt’s trio of Dina Meshref, Mariam Alhodaby, and Yosra Helmy are no strangers to the level of competition at the Smash, having featured regularly over the years.
While Meshref and Alhodaby anticipate favourable fixtures in the main draw, Helmy will begin her campaign in the qualifiers, where she is joined by Madagascar’s Hanitra Raharimanana.
The Malagasy player returns for her second consecutive Smash appearance and remains the only non‑Egyptian African female competitor to feature at the event since its inception, alongside Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou.
The Singapore Smash is the premier annual World Table Tennis Grand Smash event, featuring an expansive lineup of top talents ranked within the world’s top 50 as well as players from the top 1,000.
With a prize pool of US$1.55 million and up to 2,000 ranking points available across singles and doubles categories, the event is an exhibition of table tennis highest level of competition.