Africa Cup: Egyptian Omar Assar too good for Quadri Aruna
Assar, who is the defending champion, proved to be a hard nut to crack for Aruna
The hopes of Nigerian table tennis star Quadri Aruna upstaging his arch-rival Omar Assar of Egypt at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup have been dashed again.
Assar, who is the defending champion, proved to be a hard nut to crack for Aruna as he romped to a 4-1 victory in the thrilling contest that took place at the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Saturday encounter saw Aruna, the highest-ranked African player, lose all but one of the five sets played.
Assar breezed to an 8-11, 13-15, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11 victory to show his prowess on the continent yet again.
Despite the setback, Aruna demonstrated great skill and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
To secure his place in the final, Aruna had previously triumphed over another Egyptian player, Mohamed Youssef, in the semi-finals with a score of 4-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-3, 12-10).The victory had increased expectations of Aruna in the final match.
In the women’s event final, 15-year-old Egyptian prodigy Hana Goda successfully defended her title, defeating compatriot Dina Meshref in a nail-biting 4-3 finish to clinch the trophy.
Aside from Aruna, three other Nigerians, Fatimo Bello, Taiwo Mati and Tosin Oribamise were also in action in Kenya but none was able to achieve a podium finish.
The ITTF Africa Cup, which began on Thursday, climaxed on Saturday, showcasing the best table tennis talent the African continent has to offer.
The 2023 ITTF Africa Cup had countries like host Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi, and Congo Brazzaville among others competing in the women’s and men’s singles event.
Meanwhile, this year’s Africa Cup has been described as a dress rehearsal for the first World Championships taking place in Africa in 84 years, which is due to take place in Durban, South Africa from 20 to 28 May.
