The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ITTF

  • Nigeria battles Egypt for supremacy in singles

    The battle for supremacy in the singles between Nigeria and Egypt continues at the ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships on Friday April 12 in Accra, Ghana.

    With the conclusion of the team events, the individual events – singles and doubles take centre stage at the ongoing ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships holding in Accra, Ghana.

    Nigeria and Egypt are the cynosure of all eyes again in singles and doubles as the race for new champions in the event reach crucial stage on Friday April 12.

    In the boys’ junior and U-21, Nigeria’s Azeez Solanke and Egypt’s Mamoud Helmy have been tipped as favourites having guided their teams in the team event with Helmy yet to taste defeat in the competition. The only defeat suffered by Solanke was against Helmy in the semifinal of the U-21 which was won by Nigeria.

    Already, some players have been shown the exit in the doubles and mixed doubles events while the singles event enter knockout round as the seeded players take to the table in their quest to mount the podium.

    From the number of medals won so far, Nigeria seems to be topping with three gold medals and two silvers while Egypt are playing second fiddle to the West African giant in the competition.

    In the women’s singles, the battle for the titles will be among Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

    According to African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), the quality of play continues to improve especially with the commencement of the singles event with over 180 players competing for the six gold medals at stake in singles and doubles events.

     

  • Nigeria adds two gold medals in cadet, U-21

    Team Nigeria continued their dominance at the ongoing ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships holding in Accra, Ghana with gold medals in the boys’ cadet and U-21 events.

    In the boys cadet final, Nigeria defeated Tunisia while it also beat the Tunisians 3-0 in the U-21 final.

    Egypt beat Nigeria in the girls’ cadet while it walloped Algeria 3-0 in the U-21.

    The tournament enters day five with the singles and doubles events serving off on Thursday April 11.

  • 2019 ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships: Nigeria qualifies for World Junior Championships

    Despite two years absence from the ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships, Nigeria boys’ team yesterday in Accra, Ghana,  regained its place among the superpowers at junior level after securing its place at the 2019 ITTF World Junior Championships holding in Thailand.

    Apart from the first group match against Tunisia in which the team recorded a 3-1 win, every other match ended 3-0 in their favour.

    The team led by Azeez Solanke, Augustine Emmanuel, Abayomi Animashaun and Jamiu Ayanwale were unbeaten from the first match to the semifinal stage where they walloped Togo 3-0.

    Read also: 2019 ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships: Nigeria hits semifinal

    From 2016 when Nigeria featured at the World Junior Championships held in Cape Town, South Africa, the team has not competed at the global championship and this qualification meant a lot to the players who told NationSport that they are happy returning to the big stage in the world.

    “We are happy that we qualified and I must tell you that we are hoping to do well this time in Thailand.

    Generally to quality as one of the best teams in Africa was a bit easy for us because the only tough match we played was against Tunisia in the opening match of the group. We are excited on this and we hope we can get the needed support from government to attend this tournament later in the year,” Animashaun said.

     

  • Age-cheat is killing junior table tennis in Africa, says Tunisia’s coach

    After watching some of the players registered by teams at the ongoing ITTF African Junior Championships holding in Accra, Ghana, the chief of coach of Tunisia, Ben Kahia Ghazi has lamented the growing trend of age falsification among the players.

    He said that this ugly trend would hinder the standard of the sport at junior level in the continent.

    Apart from the inroad made by the likes of Aruna Quadri and Omar Assar at senior levels, African players are fond of struggling at junior level in international tournaments.

    Read also: 2019 ITTF African Junior and Cadet Championships: Nigeria hits semifinal

    “I am not too happy with the way some countries reduced the age of their players in order for them to feature in junior competitions. Some of these players are above the age they are playing and this will surely affect the standard of the game. In Tunisia, we work hard to produce players while others are not working hard rather they bring an adult to feature in junior tournament. Coaches must be ready to work hard to produce players and not wait to use adult players to compete in junior tournaments,” a disturbed Tunisian tactician said.

    Apart from the impact this trend would had on the standard of the sport, the coach said that it would hamper such players from improving.

     

  • 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit: Nigeria sweeps medals in singles

    Just like the boys’ contingent did in the team event, they once again showed their class after sweeping majority of the medals in the singles event of the 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit tagged Ghana Open.

    Azeez Solanke and Taiwo Matti claimed gold in the junior and cadet singles with both players adding the doubles titles in the junior and cadet to emerge as the best team in the competition.

    Despite not winning the gold medals in the girls’ event, Sukurat Aiyelabegan settled for silver and bronze medals in the mini-cadet, cadet and junior events as the most successful female player in the Nigeria team.

    To emerge as champion in the junior boys’ singles, Solanke had to dig deep to beat southpaw Matti 4-0 while Matti put the disappointment behind him by beating compatriot – Jamiu Ayanwale 3-1 to win gold medal in the cadet boys’ singles while he partnered with Ayanwale to claim the gold medal in the cadet boys doubles.

    Solanke partnership with Ayanwale also added another gold medal in the junior boys doubles after beating the pair of Matti and Augustine Emmanuel 3-1 in the final.

    However, this is indeed the best of times for Ghanaian players following the staging of the ITTF World Junior Circuit as majority of them could not hide their excitement about the hosting of the tournament.

    Despite not making it to most of the podiums, they were magnanimous that the knowledge acquired playing against some of the best juniors would fire them up to continue to work harder.

    Nathaniel Kwesi Somuah, Media Officer of Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) and Samuel Amoesi of Daily Graphic conducted separate interviews with some of the players.

    Richard Ofori, 11, who plays in mini- cadet division (Under-13), shared an experience in playing in his first ever international competition.

    “I have never played in such a competition; I felt nervous earlier which made me lost most of my matches. However, I have gained some experience and am happy about it,”

    Emnanuella Yaa kyere, also played in the girls’ mini-cadet division, said: “I am excited about playing in the competition. I have gathered a lot of experience which would help me in the future; I hope to learn from that to make me a better player.”

    For Samuel Hagan, who played in the junior division (U-18), it is an exposure for him. “I have never represented Ghana in a competition. I have learnt to be focus; I was under pressure to win which made me commit a lot of errors causing me to lose more matches at the initial stage.”

    Another Ghanaian talent, Matilda Fodu, U-18 player, recounted her joy to compete for Ghana. “The feeling is great, to represent the country on home soil, I never thought it will come soon. I have lost some matches but i hope to build on the experience and do better next time.”

     

  • Portugal Open: Quadri makes seeding list

    Aruna Quadri has been seeded number six for the first ITTF Challenge Plus of 2019.  He is prominent amongst the 32 players in the seeding list of the men’s singles.

    Aside Quadri, Egypt’s Omar Assar is the second African star that made the list. Others will begin their campaigns from the preliminary round.

    Other Nigerians taking part in the tournament include Tobi Falana, Jamiu Azeez, Olajide Omotayo, and Kazeem Makanjuola. In the women’s singles, Edem Offiong and Ganiat Aruna are also participating from the preliminary round.

    Earlier yesterday, Falana made his debut in the ITTF tournament outside Nigeria and he was beaten in the men’s U-21 by Czech Republic’s Tomas Polansky 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-5).

    Like Falana, Ganiat Aruna was on the losing end as she was beaten by India’s Archana Girish Kamath 4-0 (4-11, 5-11, 9-11, 9-11). But Jamiu Azeez won his first match in an ITTF tournament outside Nigeria with a 4-2 (14-12, 4-11, 7-11, 11-7, 15-13, 11-8) win over Slovakia’s Samuel Kaluzny in the first round of the preliminary.

    Edem Offiong was in superb form with a convincing 4-1 (11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 11-6) win over France’s Nolwenn Fort.

    Quadri and Assar will start their campaigns in the main draw tomorrow and they will be joined in the first round by successful qualifiers from the preliminary round. The tournament’s oldest players, Belarus’ Vladimir Samsonov and Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic will be aiming for another title in Portugal.

    According to ITTF Editor Ian Marshall, the manner in which Vladimir Samsonov and Aleksandar Karakasevic played in those days seems no different to the present. Vladimir Samsonov is the no.4 seed in the men’s singles event, Aleksandar Karakasevic must compete in the preliminary stages.

    Moreover, Vladimir Samsonov is in form; at the recent Europe Top 16 Cup in the Swiss city of Montreux, he came within a whisker of winning the men’s title. In the final against Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, he held two match points in the deciding seventh game before experiencing defeat.

  • 2018 ITTF World Cup: Aruna Quadri hits France with family

    After leading Portugal’s Sporting to their first win of the 2018/2019 European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Champions League, Africa’s sole representative at the 2018 ITTF World Cup, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has arrived Paris, France, in readiness for the three-day tournament which serves off on Friday October 19.

    Quadri was accompanied by his wife Ganiyat and their three children.

    The $250,000 prize money championship will have 20 best players in the world competing to share from the prize money and also amass ranking points.

    Quadri, who made the final cut based on his world ranking, will start his campaign from the first round where 12 players will be drawn into foure groups of three players in each group. The top two players in each group join the already seeded eight players to compete in the knockout round on October 20, while the final holds on October 21.

    The 2018 ITTF African Champion was in high spirit for the tournament and he is eager to reenact the feat that saw him becoming the first African to make it to the quarterfinal stage of the championship with his superlative outing at the 2014 edition in Dusseldorf, Germany.

    A determined Quadri said he is looking forward to a good draw with the aim of advancing to the knockout round. “I am here to perform like every other player and I am in good shape after the last weekend’s win in the Champions League. Every player competing in the World Cup, are potential champions and I am looking forward to give my best again and hope for the best against the best in the world,” Quadri said.

    The draws for the first round of the World Cup holds on Thursday October 18 at the Disney Event Arena in Chessy, a suburb in the east of Paris, France.

  • ITTF pledges support for Africa

    There is no doubt that Africa is a continent of diversities and this International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has recognized and this was also affirmed by ITTF helmsman, Thomas Weikert at the opening ceremony of the 2018 ITTF African Championships in Mauritius.

    Weikert, who is attending the senior tournament for the first time as ITTF boss assured the continent that the world body would continue to increase its support to Africa.

    Weikert, who has been part of the two-day ITTF/ATTF Forum was accompanied to the ceremony by ITTF Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Steve Dainton as well as some management staff told the gathering at the Beau Bassin Sports Complex that ITTF is committed to development, adding that the continent must also uphold good governance which is one of the tenet of ITTF.

    In the presence of the Mauritius Minister of Youth and Sports, Jean Christophe Stephan, Weikert lauded the Government of Mauritius for accepting to stage the tournament while assuring that ITTF would not relent in its support to the continent. “We are ready to support Africa and this is part of our strategic plan to empower each continent and Africa is part of it and we will increase our backing to the continent in terms of equipment and coaching, which we believe we help raise the profile of the sport. But we must not forget the ethics of good governance and transparency which must also be uphold for those in charge of our sport in every continent,” Thomas Weikert said.

    In a show of appreciation to ITTF, the Mauritius Table Tennis Federation (MTTA) used the event to honour Weikert and Dainton for their vision in lifting the fortune of the sport in Africa.

    In his opening remarks, MTTA President, Vimal Basanta Lala believes the support the association got from the world body has motivated them to nurture the dream of setting up a Table Tennis Training Centre – being the first in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    The Mauritius Olympic Committee (MOC) President, Philippe Hao Thyn Voon HA SHUN re-echoed ITTF’s vision of transparency and good governance which he believes Africa must imbibe in its administration.

    For African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) President, Khaled El-Salhy, the crucial role played by ITTF cannot be underestimated, while hoping the at the end of the forum, a concrete decision that move the sport forward in Africa will be made.

  • Aruna Quadri wins 2018 ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open

    Aruna Quadri has emerged winner of the 2018 ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open.

    The 30-year-old on Sunday emerged the first Nigerian to lift the annual ITTF Challenge trophy in Nigeria.

    The final concluding match of the 2018 event was an explosive 4-2 win over a France’s star player Antoine Hachard.

    The men’s single was concluded at Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, of Teslim Balogun Stadium on Sunday.

    Quadri received a star prize of $5,000  and a side bonus of N1M from Lagos State Governor; Akinwunmi Ambode as the best Nigerian player in the competition.

    An excited Quadri admitted that the Lagos fans’ support fetched him the needed victory against the enterprising France star.

    The Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall in Lagos was filled to capacity spectators trooped to the venue for the final star match between the two top seed for the Men’s Singles title.

    In the final, he beat Frenchman, Antoine Hachard, the no.16 seed, in six games (11-13, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7).

    It was Antoine Hachard who made the better start, as he established an 8-4 lead in the opening game before Quadri responded to win the next five points; at 10-9 Quadri held game point, he was unable to convert. On his second opportunity at 12-11, Antoine Hachard seized the chance.

    A good start from Antoine Hachard in the opening game; it was the same in the second but Quadri went ahead 7-1 and never looked back.

    Composed and consistently directing the first attack towards the backhand of Quadri Aruna, Antoine Hachard secured an 8-5 lead in the third, before, at 10-6 holding four-game points, two were saved but not a third, the Frenchman held the advantage.

    In the fourth game, Antoine Hachard continued the trend of preventing Quadri Aruna executing a series of forehand topspin strokes. Quadri established a 10-7 lead; he seized the first opportunity, it was parity.

    Undoubtedly the success was a momentum change, in the fifth game as Quadri went ahead 4-1; Antoine Hachard with Benjamin Brossier courtside in the role of coach, called “Time Out”. However, the Nigerian hero was not to be denied, at 10-4 he held six-game points; at the second time of asking, he converted.

    Bolstered by the passionate support, in the sixth game Quadri Aruna moved ahead 8-3, Antoine Hachard claimed the next two points and Quadri called “Time Out”.  At 10-6 held four-game point. Quadri becomes the first player to win on home soil since the tournament was established as a Challenge tournament in 2014 and lays to rest, the ghosts of when settling for runners-up spot.

    Quadri claimed the same title on October 2017 in Poland.

  • ITTF Nigeria Open Quadri proves his worth

    Table tennis star, Aruna Quadri beat Italy’s Amato Antonino on the centre court at the 6th edition of the ITTF Nigeria Open.

    Quadri, who is ranked 18th in the world, beat the 18-year-old Amato 11-7, 14-12, 11-6, 11-5 (4-0) to advance to the next round.

    Meanwhile, it was drama galore when two unseeded players defeated two top-seeded players from Nigeria.

    Bode Abiodun lost to Ronit Bhanja from India 11-4. 9-11, 11-4, 10-12, 12-10, 9-11, 10-12, while Egyptian Helmy Mahmoud beat Omotayo Olajide 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 3-11, 2-11.

    Bhanja, speaking to NationSport after his tough match with Abiodun said: “I am very proud that I beat a top-seeded Nigerian on his home turf, Bode is a very good player, I thought I was going to lose the match but glory be to God I rallied and won it”.

    The Indian unseeded player currently ranks 909 in the world.

    Helmy Mahmoud, reacting after his victory over 204th ranked Olajide said: “I am grateful for the victory over the match against Omotayo Olajide. I have heard of Omotayo and how good he plays, so I was a little bit scared but I am happy to make out of the Round 64 Men’s Single’s event. ”.