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Sensation in Chengdu, Luxembourg sets World Team Championships alight

A four-year wait over, Ni Xia Lian sets alight the 2022 ITTF World Team Championships Finals Chengdu presented by China Telecom, spearheading a sensational 3-1 victory for Luxembourg against the Republic of Korea, the no.4 seeds, beating both Jeon Jihee and Lee Zion.

Ni Xia Lian commented, “We are very happy, and we are a wonderful team. Today’s victories belong to the team. Our team harmony is our key to winning.”

The one further success for the small European Grand Duchy was recorded by Tessy Gonderinger, in the third match of the fixture, she accounted for Kim Haeyong. Luxembourg was the outfit to upset the order of merit in the women’s event, in the men’s the distinction was gained by Poland; a 3-2 win was recorded against England, the no.8 seeds.

Both upsets came in the second session of play after proceedings had earlier commenced with officials taking center stage.

Petra Sörling (ITTF President), Liu Guoliang (ITTF Executive Vice President and CTTA President), alongside Khalil Al-Mohannadi (ITTF Executive Vice President) in charge of competitions, and Steve Dainton (ITTF Group Chief Executive Officer) demonstrated their table tennis skills. 

Surprise outcomes but for the remaining highly rated teams, required to enter the arena on the opening day of action, all emerged successful.

In the men’s event, of the higher seeded teams in action Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Sweden all recorded 3-0 wins.

Dang Qiu, the recently crowned European champion, making his debut in the tournament, showed his class by recording a straight games success when facing Denis Zholudev in a 3-0 win against Kazakhstan.

“It is a big honor for us to play for the national team”, reflected Qiu. “We are all happy that we can represent Germany; we give our best every match, so we can fight and be proud to be Germany.” 

Comfortable victories, for Brazil, the no.6 seeds, life was more testing. Wins for Hugo Calderano against  Martin Andersen and Anders Lind secured a 3-1 win in opposition to Denmark.

“I don’t think it was a perfect performance. There is no such thing, but I think it was a perfect performance from the team”, said Calderano. “I was able to win my two matches. I think the most important thing is that we don’t think so much about the level we play just to get the job done. The first match is very important for the team’s confidence.” 

Success for the Brazilian men was the same for their women; sisters Bruna and Giulia Takahashi alongside Laura Watanabe combined to record a 3-0 against South Africa.

Convincing but for Puerto Rican sisters, Adriana and Melanie Diaz, life was more exacting. Opposing Malaysia, Adriana remained unbeaten, but the heroine was Daniely Rios; matters level, in the vital fifth and deciding match of the engagement, she overcame Ho Ying.

Sisters on duty, in the men’s event, making their first World Championships appearance, Alexis and Felix Lebrun remained unbeaten in a 3-0 success for France against Uzbekistan.

Exciting prospects for day two await. China’s men’s and women’s teams enter the arena, facing Canada and Puerto Rico respectively.

Further teams which will play their first match in the men’s event include Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, India, and Romania; in the women’s France and India. 

From 30 September to 9 October, the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu, presented by China Telecom see top players of 60 teams from 36 countries compete to win two of the sport’s most coveted prizes: the Swaythling and Corbillon Cups.

Source: ITTF Media

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 Nigeria Scrabble Federation Begins Africa Championship Qualifiers In Abuja Today 

Nigeria Scrabble Federation will Wednesday commence the process of selecting 10 players for the 2022 Africa Scrabble Championship which holds in Zambia next month. 
Nigeria is the current holder of the title which Moses Peter won in 2019. The invited players were drawn from the top 20 as of the 30th of April ranking by the NSF. The top 20 rated players in the Master’s category will battle for the available slots over 24 rounds of games at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja September 28 to 29. 
 
No. 1 ranked Godwin Victor, double African champion and World Champion Wellington Jighere with Eta Karo who won the West Africa Scrabble Tournament in Ghana top the list of invited players for the two-day qualifiers. 
 
Current title holder Moses Peter will not be competing as his name was conspicuously missing after he failed to cut into the top 20 according to the rankings.
 
Meanwhile, eight players have also been given wild card entries to seek slots in the Women and Youth categories.
 
NSF Vice President Bright Idahosa believed Nigeria has a rich quality of players capable of representing the country at any given time going by the quality of players in the country.
 
 Scrabble has witnessed a busy calendar in the country with competitions largely organised by players themselves as a way sustaining the development of the sports.
 
In another development, National Captiain Cyril Umebiye last Saturday sorted out his homefront as he exchanged marital vows with his new wife Abiola at a colourful ceremony in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. 
 
The well-attended event had one of the founding fathers of the sports (Retd) Brigadier-General Gold Eburu, representatives of the NSF as well as Pan Africa Scrabble Association (PANASA) Presidential candidate Adekoyejo Adegbesan all present at the ceremony.
 
Umebiye led Nigeria to victory as captain at the 2015 World Championship in Perth, Australia.
 
Invited Players
 
1.GODWIN VICTOR -Warri SC
2. WELLINGTON JIGHERE-Sapele SC 
3. ETA KARO -Warri SC 
4. ENOCH NWALI – Unilag SC
5. OSHEVIRE AVWENAGHA – Warri SC –
6. EZINORE GEORGE – Benin SC
7. REX OGBAKPA – Sapele SC –
8. OLATUNDE ODUWOLE- Surulere SC
9. PRINCE OMOSEFE – Benin SC
10. OKIEMUTE TEGA -Benin SC
11. DOKO OLUWATIMILEHIN- Unilag SC 
12. DENNIS IKEKEREGOR- Sapele SC 
13. NSIKAK ETIM-Shell SC. Douye Dariye Tournament
14. EMMANUEL UMUJOSE – Warri SC 
15. JOHN AIYEDUN- Pyramid SC 
16. CHUKWUDI EHIBUDU- Apex SC 
17. BEN QUICKPEN- Yenagoa SC
18. EMMANUEL OFIDI-Warri SC 
19. SAHEED JIMOH-Pyramid SC 
20. JACOB RYAN-Uyo SC 
 
Wildcards
 
1. TUOYO MAYUKU -Warri SC 
2. ADEBISI ADEKANSI- Abeokuta SC
3. CHIAMAKA GABRIEL- Pyramid SC
4. PRISCILLA AKHABUE- Ikorodu SC 
5. JIMOH ABDULMUMIN- Apex SC 
6. CHINEDU THORPE- Anambra SF
7. AKEEM OGUNDOKUN- Kwara SC Winner 
8. EMMANUEL ENYI- Unibadan SC 

Source: Nigerian Scrabble Federation

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First Stage Draw Completed in Chengdu!

Eyes focused on host nation’s initial opponents, with a return to the era of Ping Pong Diplomacy

Defending champions China occupy the top seeded positions in both the men’s and women’s team events at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Presented by China Telecom; the initial stage groups being determined at the draw ceremony on Wednesday 28th September.

Overall, 32 teams compete in the men’s event, and 28 in the women’s competition.

Notably, for both Chinese teams, there is a sense of history, a return to the era of Ping Pong Diplomacy. It is just over 50 years ago since a Chinese team landed in Detroit; in both the men’s and women’s events China is drawn in the same group as the United States.

China with an abundance of riches starts as clear favorites; seasoned players such as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong form the backbone of the men’s team, for the women, Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, and Wang Manyu are no strangers to the biggest stage of all.

Young Players

The burning question is how young players will respond.

In the men’s team event Germany, the second seeds, are in the same group as France; for Germany Dang Qiu, the recently crowned European champion leads the line. Brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun appear for France. None were under serious first-team consideration four years ago in Halmstad.

Similarly, at the Liebherr 2018 World Team Championships, Truls Moregard played just one match; he is now a key player for Sweden, the fifth seed. In their group the next rated outfit is England; the team Sweden beat in Halmstad to gain a semi-final place.

Pivotal Players

Undoubtedly, Mattias Falck is pivotal to Swedish success as is Tomokazu Harimoto for Japan. They are in the same group as Hong Kong, China, and Romania.

Promoting youth, Eduard Ionescu, winner of the Under 19 Boys’ Singles title at the European Youth Championships, appears in the Romanian squad.

Crucial players, it is the same for the Republic of Korea, the fourth seed, and Brazil, the sixth seed. Jang Woojin and Hugo Calderano are the respective team leaders.

For the Republic of Korea, Egypt and the Czech Republic comprise the main rivals; for Brazil next in line is Portugal, the team they beat in the group stage in Halmstad, on that occasion against the odds.

Debuts

Meanwhile, in the women’s team event, Japan, the second seed, face European opposition in the guise of Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The Land of the Rising Sun includes Hina Hayata, Miyuu Kihara, and Miyu Nagasaki, all players born this century, they make their World Team Championships debuts.

Only Mima Ito remains from the silver medal-winning team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; for Hong Kong, China, the bronze medallists it is very different.

Once again the names of Doo Hoi Kem, Lee Ho Ching, and Minnie Soo Wai Yam appear on the team list. The third seeds, Brazil, with sisters Bruna and Giulia Takahashi on duty are their main rivals.

Much will depend on Bruna Takahashi, as it will for the Republic of Korea, the fourth seed, spearheaded by Jeon Jihee, she is the player with the greatest experience in the selection.

Singapore, led by Zeng Jian, Women’s Singles silver medallist at the recent Commonwealth Games, appear the main opposition for the Koreans.

Experience

Meanwhile, Germany, the fifth seed, with the staunch defensive skills of Han Ying at the head of the order, is drawn in the same group as teams that in recent years have made immense progress. It is a chance for Egypt and India to shine.

Dina Meshref and Hana Goda feature in the Egyptian line-up; the Indian squad is spearheaded by Manika Batra, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion.

Completing to top six teams, Romania includes Bernadette Szocs and Elizabeta Samara. They appear in the same group as Chinese Taipei, likewise a team with experienced players. Cheng I-Ching and Chen Szu-Yu were both members of Chinese Taipei’s bronze medal-winning outfit at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Main Draw

Overall, 16 teams in each of the men’s and women’s events qualify for the knockout stage; play starts on Wednesday 5 October. Teams finishing in the first position in each group will be drawn in the seeded positions; the second placed team will be drawn randomly against a group winner or into unfilled seeded positions; additional places will be filled by the highest-ranked third-place group finishers.

Group Stage
Men’s Team
Group 1: China, Slovenia, United States, Puerto Rico, Thailand
Group 2: Germany, France, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Group 3: Japan; Hong Kong, China; Romania; Iran; Hungary
Group 4: Republic of Korea, Egypt, Czech Republic, Canada, Saudi Arabia
Group 5: Sweden, England, Australia, Poland
Group 6: Brazil, Portugal, Denmark, Slovakia
Group 7: Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Belgium, Singapore

Women’s Team
Group 1: China, United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Malaysia
Group 2: Japan, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Uzbekistan
Group 3: Hong Kong, China; Brazil; France; Italy; South Africa
Group 4: Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Luxembourg, Iran
Group 5: Germany, Egypt, India, Czech Republic
Group 6: Romania, Chinese Taipei, Sweden, Portugal

Procedure

In the men’s event the highest rated teams were allocated the top seeded position in each of the seven groups according to their world ranking; immediately following teams ranked no.8 to no.10 were drawn randomly in groups no.5 to no.7; teams ranked no.11 to no.14 randomly to groups no.1 to no.4.

Teams ranked no.15 to no.28 were drawn using the snake system, and the remaining four teams to groups no.1 to no.4.

In the women’s event, the highest-rated teams were allocated the top-seeded position in each of the six groups according to their world ranking. Teams ranked no.7 to no.9 were drawn to groups no.4 to no.6; teams ranked no.10 to no.12 to groups no.1 to no.3.

Teams ranked no.13 to no.24 were drawn using the snake system, and the remaining four teams to groups no.1 to no.4.

The 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Presented by China Telecom commences on Friday 30 September.

Source: ITTF Media

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China Telecom Appointed as Presenting Partner of the 2022 ITTF World Team Championships Finals

China Telecom

China Telecom was unveiled today as the Presenting Partner of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu. The telecommunications giant will provide full technical support to the event via its cloud service provider, China Telecom Cloud. 
 
ITTF President Petra Sörling commented, “I am delighted to welcome China Telecom as a Presenting Partner for the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu. China Telecom is a leader in the telecommunication industry and cloud technological innovation. With the support of our global and local partners such as China Telecom, we are excited to make this a memorable and successful World Championships.”
 
By leveraging its technology and experience, China Telecom will provide high-quality network support and comprehensive intelligent information services throughout the event, presenting sports enthusiasts worldwide with a spectacular table tennis experience.
 
China Telecom, one of the world’s largest providers of integrated telecommunication services, has unwaveringly strived to enhance its capabilities in maintaining its global footprints while addressing changing demands. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, China Telecom has established its presence in 41 countries and regions and offers services worldwide to help global customers accelerate their business transformation journeys.
 
The 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu, presented by China Telecom, will begin on 30 September.

Source: ITTF Media

2022 ITTF World Team Championships FinalsPlayers Land in Chengdu

Players Land in Chengdu

Players Land in Chengdu

Over 250 athletes have landed in Chengdu, China, ready to compete in the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals.

For the first time since Beijing 2022, China has welcomed athletes to elite competitions. A closed-loop system has been employed for these championships, with athletes arriving on specially chartered flights from the ITTF.

In the loop, athletes will be regularly tested for COVID-19, while being separated from the general population. This system ensured the successful delivery of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games and should make for thrilling, safe competition in Chengdu.

“It’s great that we will be able to play this Championships even if the restrictions are hard,” said Team Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson.

The men’s competition will feature 32 teams, with 28 in the women’s draw. Play takes place in two stages, a group phase organized on the round robin principle followed by a knockout.

Before the competition starts, a draw ceremony will take place on Wednesday 28 September. Men’s teams will be drawn into seven groups, women’s into six groups. Placement in the groups will be based on the ITTF World Team Ranking.

“Words cannot express how excited we are to be watching the world’s best table tennis teams take the floor in Chengdu,” Petra Sörling, ITTF President, said. “The most positive news yesterday was that all participants tested negative. Credit must be given to the organizers who have delivered in this challenging environment, what surely will be an impeccable event.”

The group stage will begin on September 30, with the women’s and men’s finals taking place on October 8 and 9 respectively.

As part of an ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge advancements for the sport, the event in Chengdu will be broadcast for the first time in 4K in the Chinese market. Broadcasts of the World Championships will be available in 120 countries to follow the action live.

Moreover, from tomorrow, table tennis fans will be able to enjoy up-to-date news and content via a new channel with the launch of World Table Tennis WeChat Mini Program, becoming one of the first sports organizations to provide exclusive content on China’s biggest digital platform.

Source: ITTF Media

2022 ITTF World Team Championships players and playing system unveiled

2022 ITTF World Team Championships players and playing system unveiled

Players, Schedule, Playing System, New Website… Everything You Need to Know Before the 2022 ITTF World Team Championships

2022 ITTF World Team Championships players and playing system unveiled
2022 ITTF World Team Championships players and playing system unveiled

Just a week before the opening, preparations for the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals are being finalized. More than 250 athletes will be out in force across the 10 days of table tennis action.

Excitement is building in the city of Chengdu for the only international sports event hosted in China this year; following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Participants will arrive on Monday 26 September, via special flights chartered by the ITTF.

Before the competition starts, a draw ceremony will take place on Wednesday 28 September. Men’s teams will be drawn into seven groups, women’s into six groups. Placement in the groups will be based on the ITTF World Team Ranking.

Play commences on Friday 30 September and takes place in two stages, a group phase organized on the round robin principle followed by a knockout. A team match is the best of 5 matches with each individual match being the best of 5 games.

Overall, 16 teams in each of the men’s and women’s events qualify for the knockout stage; play starts on Wednesday 5 October. Teams finishing in the first position in each group will be drawn in the seeded positions; the second placed team will be drawn randomly against a group winner or into unfilled seeded positions; additional places will be filled by the highest-ranked third-place group finishers.

The women’s and men’s finals will take place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October respectively. Winning teams receive gold medals as well as the commemorative Swaythling and Marcel Corbillon Cups, runners-up will be presented with silver medals, and losing semi-finalists will receive bronze medals.

The 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu will be broadcast in over 120 countries and will also be the first-ever edition produced in 4K for the Chinese market. 

A dedicated website was launched today with all information to follow the action in Chengdu: https://worldtabletennis.com/teamseventInfo?eventId=2535 

MEN’S TEAMS:
Australia: LEE Yonghun, LUU Finn, LUM Nicholas, CHAMBERS Dillon
Belgium: ALLEGRO Martin, DEVOS Laurens, LAMBIET Florent, NUYTINCK Cédric, RASSENFOSSE Adrien
Brazil: CALDERANO Hugo, ISHIY Vitor, JOUTI Eric
Canada: LY Edward, WANG Ze Xuan, XU David
China: FAN Zhendong, LIANG Jingkun, LIN Gaoyuan, MA Long, WANG Chuqin
Chinese Taipei: CHUANG Chih-Yuan, HUANG Yan-Cheng, LIAO Cheng-Ting, LIN Yun-Ju, PENG Wang-Wei
Croatia: BAN Ivor, GACINA Andrej, PUCAR Tomislav, ZELJKO Filip
Czech Republic: KOLDAS Tomas, POLANSKY Tomas, VALENTA Jan
Denmark: ANDERSEN Martin, CHRISTENSEN Thor, LIND Anders, RASMUSSEN Tobias
Egypt: ABDELAZIZ Youssef, EL-BEIALY Mohamed, SALEH Ahmed, SHOUMAN Mohamed
England: MCBEATH David, PITCHFORD Liam, WALKER Samuel
France: LEBESSON Emmanuel, LEBRUN Alexis, LEBRUN Felix, ROLLAND Jules
Germany: DUDA Benedikt, MENG Fanbo, QIU Dang, STUMPER Kay, WALTHER Ricardo
Hong Kong, China: LAM Siu Hang, LI Hon Ming, NG Pak Nam, WONG Chun Ting, YIU Kwan To
Hungary: ECSEKI Nandor, LAKATOS Tamas, MAJOROS Bence, SZUDI Adam
India: DESAI Harmeet, GNANASEKARAN Sathiyan, SHAH Manush Utpalbhai, SHETTY Sanil, THAKKAR Manav Vikash
Iran: ALAMIAN Nima, ALAMIYAN Noshad, AMIRI NIA Soroosh, HODAEI Seyedamirhossein, NOROOZI Afshin
Japan: HARIMOTO Tomokazu, NIWA Koki, OIKAWA Mizuki, TOGAMI Shunsuke, YOKOTANI Jo
Kazakhstan: GERASSIMENKO Kirill, KENZHIGULOV Aidos, KURMANGALIYEV Alan, ZHOLUDEV Denis
Mexico: ARCE Dario, GOMEZ Juan Jesus, MADRID Marcos, VILLA José
Poland: GRELA Artur, KUBIK Maciej, KULCZYCKI Samuel, REDZIMSKI Miłosz
Portugal: APOLÓNIA Tiago, FREITAS Marcos, GERALDO João, MONTEIRO João
Puerto Rico: AFANADOR Brian, GONZALEZ Daniel, NARANJO Angel  
Republic of Korea: AN Jaehyun, CHO Daeseong, CHO Seungmin, HWANG Minha, JANG Woojin
Romania: IONESCU Eduard, IONESCU Ovidiu, PLETEA Cristian, SZOCS Hunor
Saudi Arabia: ALIM Azzam, ALKHADRAWI Ali, ALSHAREIF Khalid, ALSUWAILEM Salem, BU SHULAYBI Abdulaziz
Singapore: BEH Kun Ting, CHEW Zhe Yu Clarence, PANG Yew En Koen, QUEK Yong Izaac, WONG Andy
Slovakia: KLAJBER Adam, WANG Yang, ZELINKA Jakub
Slovenia: CVETKO Tilen, HRIBAR Peter, JORGIĆ Darko, KOŽUL Deni
Sweden: FALCK Mattias, KÄLLBERG Anton, KARLSSON Kristian, MOREGARD Truls, PERSSON Jon
Thailand: PASSARA Pattaratorn, SANGUANSIN Phakpoom, TANCHAROEN Sayayut
United States of America: ALTO Earl, LEVINSKI Mishel, LIANG Jishan
Uzbekistan: ANORBOEV Abdulaziz, ISKANDAROV Shokhrukh, KENJAEV Zokhid, KHOLIKOV Elmurod

WOMEN’S TEAMS:
Brazil: TAKAHASHI Bruna, TAKAHASHI Giulia, WATANABE Laura
Canada: NIE Jiayi, LIAO Ivy, HUANG Hui, LIU Crystal
China: CHEN Meng, CHEN Xingtong, SUN Yingsha, WANG Manyu, WANG Yidi
Chinese Taipei: CHEN Szu-Yu, CHENG I-Ching, HUANG Yi-Hua, LI Yu-Jhun, LIU Hsing-Yin
Czech Republic: MATELOVA Hana, SEVCIKOVA Marketa, TOMANOVSKA Katerina
Egypt: ABDELRAZEK Yousra, ALHODABY Mariam, GODA Hana, MESHREF Dina
France: CHASSELIN Pauline, LUTZ Charlotte, PAVADE Prithika, YUAN Jia Nan
Germany: HAN Ying, KAUFMANN Annett, MITTELHAM Nina, SHAN Xiaona, WINTER Sabine
Hong Kong, China: DOO Hoi Kem, LEE Ho Ching, NG Wing Lam, SOO Wai Yam Minnie, ZHU Chengzhu
Hungary: HARTBRICH Leonie, MADARASZ Dora, NAGYVARADI Mercedes
India: AKULA Sreeja, BATRA Manika, CHITALE Diya Parag, GHOSH Swastika, TENNISON Reeth
Iran: ASHTARI Mahshid, HAJILOU Parinaz, RAHIMI Elina, SAFAEI Shima, SHAHSAVARI Neda
Italy: ARLIA Nicole, PICCOLIN Giorgia, VIVARELLI Debora
Japan: HAYATA Hina, ITO Mima, KIHARA Miyuu, NAGASAKI Miyu, SATO Hitomi
Luxembourg: BARBOSA Ariel, DE NUTTE Sarah, GONDERINGER Tessy, NI Xia Lian
Malaysia: LYNE Karen, CHANG Li Sian Alice, HO Ying, TEE Ai Xin
Mexico: BARCENAS Clio, COSSIO Arantxa, GUTIERREZ Lourdes, SILVA Yadira
Poland: BAJOR Natalia, PARTYKA Natalia, WEGRZYN Anna, WEGRZYN Katarzyna
Portugal: SHAO Jieni, MATOS Ines, YU Fu
Puerto Rico: DIAZ Adriana, DIAZ Melanie, RIOS Daniely
Republic of Korea: JEON Jihee, KIM Hayeong, KIM Nayeong, LEE Zion, YOON Hyobin
Romania: CIOBANU Irina, DIACONU Adina, DRAGOMAN Andreea, SAMARA Elizabeta, SZOCS Bernadette
Singapore: GOI Rui Xuan, WONG Xin Ru, ZENG Jian, ZHANG Wanling, ZHOU Jingyi
Slovakia: BALÁŽOVÁ Barbora, KUKULKOVÁ Tatiana, LABOŠOVÁ Ema
South Africa: EDWARDS Lailaa, KALAM Musfiquh, MAPHANGA Zodwa, PATEL Danisha
Sweden: BERGAND Filippa, BERGSTRÖM Linda, HANSSON Matilda, KÄLLBERG Christina
Thailand: PARANANG Orawan, SAWETTABUT Jinnipa, SAWETTABUT Suthasini
United States of America: JALLI Sarah, KE Tiffany, LIN Yi-Shiuan, ZHANG Lily
Uzbekistan: ERKEBAEVA Asel, KHADJIEVA Rozalina, MADALIEVA Sugdiyona, MAGDIEVA Markhabo

Source: ITTF Media

Breaking News: At last Aruna conquers Assar to claim African title

Breaking News: At last Aruna conquers Assar to claim African title

Quadri Aruna - African Men Champion

Since 2018 Quadri Aruna has been playing second fiddle to Egyptian Omar Assar in finals of continental tournaments but yesterday in Algiers, the Nigerian broke the jinx to emerge as the new African Men Champion.

Both players were not really tested at the ITTF African Senior Championships until the final where they both played their best match in the tournament.
Aruna won the title in a comeback fashion having been down 2-0 against the Egyptian and was on the verge of losing again when Assar was leading 3-1. But the Nigerian tenacity and prowess came to the fore as he fought back to level at 3-3 and was leading in the final game for the tie to go into 12-12.
Good shots from the Nigerian were all he needed to conquer the Egyptian and claim his first continental title since 2018. Aruna won 4-3 (8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 13-11, 14-12)

Aruna Quadri - African Men Champion

An elated Aruna described the tie as energy-sapping while he lauded his opponent for a good display. “I think I gave my all and even when I was down I did not give up. I think I just stayed focused and this worked out for me and I am happy that my efforts in Algiers paid off for me,” he said.

This win will surely shore up Aruna’s ranking in the world while Taiwo Mati’s performance will also help his rating in the world.

Source: Nigeria Table Tennis Federation