Table Tennis: Aruna, Meshref to defend titles at 2025 ITTF Africa Cup

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Dina Meshref, the defending champions, will defend their titles at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis, Tunisia, from 25 to 27 February.

In addition to the titles, players will compete for spots at the 2025 ITTF World Cup in Macao, China, this April.

As the first tournament on the ITTF Africa calendar, the event promises to be explosive, with many of the continent’s top players heading to Tunisia next week.

The semi-finalists in both the men’s and women’s events will qualify for the expanded ITTF World Cup.

The El-Menzah Sports Palace, a multi-purpose arena with a capacity of 5,500 spectators, will host the three-day, $25,000 prize money tournament.

Aruna will renew his long-time rivalry with Egypt’s Omar Assar. The most decorated player in the tournament’s history, Aruna has won the title five times (2024, 2017, 2016, 2014, and 2009).

Assar has also claimed the title five times (2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, and 2015), but Aruna has appeared in more finals.

Other notable players include Benin’s Abdel-Kabir Salifou, Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu, and Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, who will be looking to cause upsets.

On the women’s side, nine-time champion Dina Meshref will defend her crown against rising star and compatriot Hana Goda, the continent’s number-one ranked player, and 2024 runner-up Mariam Alhodaby.

Exciting event

Lotfi Guerfel, President of the Tunisia Table Tennis Federation (TTTF), promises an exciting event with live-streaming of matches.

He said: “TTTF is well-prepared to host these significant events in Africa. Our team has accumulated extensive experience through previously hosted tournaments. We consistently seek feedback from all stakeholders to enhance the success of our future events.

“Our readiness to host the Africa Cup is rooted in meticulous planning and organisation, starting with establishing various committees with clear roles and responsibilities and ensuring all logistics, especially high-quality equipment, are in place. We will ensure our technology team is ready to broadcast the event online for remote audiences and provide updates through our dedicated platform.”

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Wahid Enitan Oshodi, President of ITTF Africa, added, “The level of table tennis in Africa has grown exponentially over the last few years. This tournament is not only a platform for established players but also an opportunity for young talents to make a name for themselves.”

The ITTF Africa Cup 2025 will feature a preliminary round on the opening day, followed by knockout stages on the final two days. The four semi-finalists in both categories will automatically qualify for the ITTF Singles World Cup Macao 2025, which will be held from 14 to 20 April.