Quadri Aruna secures spot for 2025 ITTF World Cup

Africa’s top table tennis players, Quadri Aruna, Omar Assar, Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, Mariam Alhodaby, and Fatimo Bello, have booked their places at the 2025 ITTF World Cup after reaching the semifinals of the ongoing ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis.

Hana Goda was the first to seal her spot with a 4-1 win over Tunisia’s Maram Zoghlami, followed by Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello, who defeated Tunisian teenager Ela Saidi by the same margin.

Five-time Africa Cup champion Omar Assar faced a tough test but overcame Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa 4-2 to book his ticket. Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou also earned his first-ever ITTF World Cup qualification with a 4-1 victory over Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali.

Nine-time African Cup champion Dina Meshref continued her dominance, dispatching Nigeria’s Aminat Fashola, while Mariam Alhodaby secured another spot for Egypt with a commanding 4-0 win over Algeria’s Lynda Logrhaibi.

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna cruised past Cote d’Ivoire’s Oba Oba Kizito 4-0, securing yet another World Cup appearance, while Cameroon’s Ylane Batix earned his maiden qualification with a 4-2 victory over Madagascar’s Antoine Razafinarivo.

The semifinals will see Aruna face Batix and Assar take on Salifou in the Men’s Singles, while in the Women’s Singles, Goda will battle Bello, and Meshref will clash with Alhodaby in the quest for the Africa Cup title in Tunis.