Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has another bridge to cross in his bid to claim the ITTF Africa Cup title, as world No. 19 will battle Egyptian national champion Mohamed El-Beiali in the final of the men’s singles at BK Arena in Kigali, the Rwanda capital.
Aruna avenged his African Games defeat to Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz in the semifinal with a commanding 4-1 win, while El-Beiali repeated the same score margin against Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo. The final holds later on Tuesday, May 14, as the battle for supremacy on the continent heats up.
In the women’s singles, it is an Egyptian affair as Dina Meshref takes on Mariam Alhodaby in the final.
Meshref, who is trying to reclaim the title she surrendered to her compatriot, Hana Goda, in Lagos 2022 and Nairobi 2023, clashes against Alhodaby, the 2021 Africa Champion. Meshref defeated Nigeria’s Offiong Edem 4-0 to reach the final.
To berth in the final, Alhodaby was flawless in the semifinal against defending champion Goda with a 4-0 win.
The tournament has over 50 players from 15 countries taking part as players brace up for the African Olympic Qualification Tournament, which begins on May 16 and ends on may 18.