New singles champions would be crowned on Monday, as the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships conclude at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana.
This is contained in a statement by Morakinyo Abodunrin, Media Officer of the ITTF-Africa, on Sunday in Lagos.
He said the continental tournament, which attracted participants from more than 20 African countries, had produced exciting contests.
According to him, Egypt dominated the team events by winning three of the four titles, while Nigeria retained the U-19 boys’ team crown.
He added that Nigeria’s Umar Ayoola and Joshua Samson emerged as the standout performers in the U-15 boys’ singles, after both upset higher-ranked opponents to reach the semifinals.
The ITTF-Africa media officer noted that Samson recorded one of the biggest upsets of the competition with a commanding 3-0 victory over Uganda’s top seed, Joseph Sebantidinra, while Ayoola defeated Egypt’s third seed, Ahmed Elsabbagh, 3-1.
“Egypt’s second seed, Asser Sameh, fought back from a game down to beat Togo’s Ganiou Abdourahman 3-1, while Tunisia’s Amine Amori edged Egypt’s Mohamed Kosba 3-2 to complete the semifinal lineup.
“In the U-15 girls’ singles, Nigeria’s Aishat Rabiu defeated Algeria’s Assil Sarri 3-1 to set up a semifinal clash against Tunisia’s top seed, Ela Saidi.
“Egypt’s Malak Zaki advanced with a 3-0 victory over Tunisia’s Elee Abassi, while Uganda’s Patience Ayango overcame Nigeria’s Aziza Sezuo 3-2 to secure the remaining semifinal berth,” he said.
Abodunrin quoted Uganda’s Jemimah Nakawala, who stunned Egypt’s top seed, Yara Elbadawy, 4-1 in the round of 16, as expressing confidence ahead of the title race.
“Initially I thought the match against Yara would be longer and tougher, but after the first two games I was confident I would win. I think the coast is now clear for me to claim the title this year,” he quoted Nakawala as saying.
The ITTF-Africa media officer also said President of the African Table Tennis Federation, Wahid Oshodi, had commended the growing standard of the competition across the continent.
“We now have more players performing at a very high level, which makes the tournament more competitive.
“Our member associations must be commended for their investment in the players and we hope that some of these athletes will become stars in the near future,”he quoted Oshodi as saying.
Abodunrin added that the quality of performances at this year’s championship reflected the steady growth of table tennis across Africa and the increasing depth of emerging talents, capable of competing at the highest level.
