Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Fatimo Bello have booked their spots at the 2025 ITTF World Cup after advancing to the semifinals of the ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis.
Aruna, a five-time Africa Cup champion, dominated Ivory Coast’s Oba Oba Kizito with a commanding 4-0 victory, reaffirming his place among Africa’s table tennis elite. Bello also sealed her World Cup ticket with an impressive 4-1 win over Tunisia’s Ela Saidi in the quarterfinals.
They join a strong African contingent heading to Macao, China, including Egypt’s Omar Assar, Abdel-Kader Salifou of Benin Republic, and Egypt’s Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby, all of whom secured their World Cup slots by reaching the semifinals.
Egypt’s Hana Goda was the first to qualify, easing past Tunisia’s Maram Zoghlami with a 4-1 victory. Omar Assar, a five-time Africa Cup champion, battled through a tough 4-2 win over Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa to secure his spot.
More Read
Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou earned his maiden World Cup ticket after a 4-1 triumph against Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali. Nine-time African champion Dina Meshref overwhelmed Nigeria’s Aminat Fashola to book her place, while Mariam Alhodaby completed Egypt’s dominant showing with a 4-0 win over Algeria’s Lynda Logrhaibi.
In the Men’s Singles semifinals, Aruna will face Cameroon’s Ylane Batix, who earned his first-ever World Cup ticket after a 4-2 win over Madagascar’s Antoine Razafinarivo. The other semifinal will see Assar take on Salifou in a battle of continental heavyweights.
For the Women’s Singles, Bello will take on Egypt’s Hana Goda, while Meshref and Alhodaby clash in an all-Egyptian encounter as the fight for the Africa Cup title intensifies.
With their World Cup spots secured, Aruna and Bello will now turn their focus to claiming the Africa Cup title, as they aim to strengthen Nigeria’s dominance on the continent.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
