Egypt lists dares Nigeria, others at Africa Cup

Egypt lists dares Nigeria, others at Africa Cup

World number 19 Omar Assar will be leading the six-man Egyptian contingent that against Nigeria and other nations at the 2022 ITTF Africa Cup taking place in Lagos between 28 and 28 May at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The tournament which serves as the continental qualifiers for the end-of-the-year WTT Cup Finals will, have 28 men and 20 women from 13 countries will be competing for the singles titles.

Assar who recently moved to Germany after playing two seasons in the French league , will be championing the North African onslaught alongside defending champion Ahmed Saleh and Mohammed El-Beiali.

Men’s singles defending champion Saleh believes Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia are threats to their title defense in Lagos.

“I know Nigeria always has surprised players while Senegal and Tunisia are not pushovers. It promises to be explosive with the best players in the continent aiming for ranking points and laurels. But I will try my best, as usual, to remain calm in order to retain my title in front of the ever-supporting Lagos fans,” Saleh said.

In the list released by the President of Egypt Table Tennis Federation (ETTF) Moataz Ashour, the team will arrive Lagos on May 24 as they are expected to defend their titles against Quadri Aruna-led Nigeria side.

The Egyptian team will be coached by their Chinese tactician Zhang Chaoling whose milder touch has brought vibrancy to table tennis in the North African nation.

Also in the fray for the title is Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw who has continued to grow his fans base in Africa following his display at the 2019 Nigeria Open.

Players from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo DRC, Congo Brazzaville, Tunisia, Algeria Cameroon, Kenya, and Togo are expected to compete in the three-day high-ranking points tournament.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Hana Goda and African champion Mariam Alhodaby , will be making their debut at the tournament as women’s defending champion Dina Meshref will be hoping to extend her grip on the championship she had won more than six times.