Table Tennis: Oshonaike, Offiong Begin WTT Singapore Tournament
Six-time Olympian Olufunke Oshonaike returns to the international scene on Monday at the qualifying round of the 2022 World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash alongside compatriot Edem Offiong, as they both compete in the Women’s Singles of the championships.
Oshonaike’s last outing at any international tournament was at the September 2021 African Championships in Cameroon, where she was beaten in the knockout stage by Egyptian teenager Hana Goda.
In the Women’s Singles qualifying draw, it will be a tough ask for Oshonaike when she meets Singapore’s Koh Kai Xin Pearlyn.
Edem Offiong
Nigeria’s best-ranked female player in the world, Edem Offiong, will face Turkey’s Ozge Yilmaz.
Offiong represented Nigeria in the women’s singles of the Table Tennis event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but lost USA’s Lily Zhang in the second round.
Also representing the continent, former African champion Sarah Hanffou of Cameroon will be up against Serbia’s Andrea Todorovic as Africa looks to make its mark at the year’s biggest event.
Expected to start campaigns from the main draws are Quadri Aruna and Egyptian contingent led by Omar Assar, Dina Meshref, Ahmed Saleh, Yousra Helmy.
The three-day 64- draw qualifying competition commences on Monday through Wednesday, before the main draw takes place from March 11 to 20.
It consists of a 64-player draw for the Singles events (men and women), a 24-pair draw for Men’s and Women’s Doubles, and a 16-pair draw for Mixed Doubles. All champions will receive 2,000 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Points.
WTT Grand Smashes form the foundation of the WTT Series and the Singapore Smash is the first of the four new pillars of professional table tennis.
Chidi Nwoke/Mary Paul/The Nation.
