Top players are set to battle for semi-final spots in singles, doubles and mixed doubles events on Saturday at the 2025 ITTF Africa Youth Championships.
The eight-day tournament is holding at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall in the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State.
In the singles category, the race for medals is heating up among host nation Nigeria, continental powerhouse Egypt and Tunisia.
In the Boys’ U-19 division, defending champion Wassim Essid of Tunisia faces a tough challenge in the round of 16. A potential rematch with Nigeria’s Abdulbasit Abdulfatai looms, while Matthew Kuti remains a strong contender for the gold medal.
In the Girls’ U-19 event, Egypt’s Mariam Younes appears on course for a smooth path to the final stage. Her main competition is expected to come from fellow Egyptian players, who are also in top form.
The Boys’ U-15 category features Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira, a rising star chasing his first continental title. However, he faces stiff competition from players representing Egypt, Nigeria, and Tunisia in the knockout stage.
In the Girls’ U-15 division, the medal race is likely to be a three-way contest among Egypt, Tunisia and Uganda. Uganda’s team victory in the event has boosted confidence levels heading into the individual matches.
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Standout player Patience Anyango is set to challenge top talents from Tunisia and Egypt in key encounters.
The doubles and mixed doubles events are also proving tightly contested among Nigeria, Egypt, and Tunisia.
Uganda’s main hope in the doubles lies in the U-15 category, with Sebatindira and Anyango leading their campaign.
Nigeria has shown dominance in the team events, clinching two of the four available gold medals. Egypt and Uganda won the remaining two, in the Girls’ U-19 and U-15 team events respectively.