Nigeria shines on opening day of 2025 ITTF world championships

The 2025 ITTF World Championships officially got underway on Saturday, May 17, in the vibrant city of Doha, Qatar, with Nigeria making an early impact in the Singles and Mixed Doubles events.

Featuring over 300 athletes from more than 70 member associations, the prestigious global tournament spans five categories: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. The action will run for nine thrilling days across two venues — the Lusail Multipurpose Hall and Qatar University Sports Complex.

One of the standout performances on the opening day came from Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Kabirat Ayoola in the Mixed Doubles. The pair held their nerve in a tense five-game battle to edge Egypt’s Mahmoud Helmy and Hend Fathy 3-2 (9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7), advancing to the second round.

Despite dropping the first game, Omotayo and Ayoola showcased resilience and tactical discipline to turn the match in their favour and claim a hard-fought victory.

In the Singles events, it was a mixed outing for African players. Nigeria’s Hope Udoaka suffered a straight-set defeat to Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi (3-11, 1-11, 6-11, 8-11), while Egypt’s Aly Ghallab, Ethiopia’s Darara Dufera, and Madagascar’s Fabio Rakotoarimanana also bowed out early with 4-0 losses.

Egypt’s Yousra Helmy, however, brought some joy for the continent with a confident 4-1 (11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6) victory over Australia’s Jocelyn Lam to progress to the second round of the Women’s Singles.

The day’s biggest highlight for Africa came from Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna. The 2024 African Cup champion lived up to his billing, dismantling Brazil’s Victor Ishiy 4-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9) in a dominant display that reinforced his status as a top contender for the title.

Meanwhile, the tournament witnessed its first major upset as unseeded Italians Mihai Bobocica and Niagol Stoyanov shocked 12th seeds Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs with a commanding 3-0 (15-13, 11-7, 11-3) victory in the Mixed Doubles.

The tournament resumes on Sunday, May 18, with more exciting fixtures on the card.