The Nigerian duo of Quadri Aruna and Fatimo Bello have fought their way through to the semi-final of the ongoing 2025 ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis, subsequently clinching tickets to the 2025 ITTF World Cup in Macao, Afrosport reports.
Defending men’s singles champion Aruna eased into the last four in Tunisia by defeating Ivory Coast’s Oba Kizito 4-0 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, recording scores of 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10.
The 36-year-old, who is looking to retain the title he won last year, will face Ylane Batix in the semi-final after the Cameroonian beat Madagascar’s Antoine Razafinarivo 4-2 in the quarterfinals.
Bello, meanwhile, overcame Tunisian teenage sensation Ela Saidi 4-1 in the women’s category and will face a tough test in the semi-final against Africa’s No. 1 Hana Goda after the Egyptian sealed a commanding 4-1 victory over Tunisia’s Maram Zoghlami in the previous round.
Other stars that have sealed both a semifinal berth and ticket to the ITTF World Cup include the Egyptian trio of Omar Assar, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby, as well as Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou.
Top seed Assar faced a stern contest in the men’s quarterfinals from Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, ranked ninth on the continent. The 33-year-old, however, pushed through, winning the contest 4-2.
Salifou, on the other hand, stunned third seed and last year’s finalist Mohamed El-Beiali of Egypt 4-1 to clinch his maiden ITTF World Cup ticket.
In the women’s category, the decorated Meshref, a nine-time African Cup champion, proved too much to handle for Nigeria’s Aminat Fashola, while Alhodaby dominated Algeria’s Lynda Logrhaibi 4-0 in her own quarterfinals matchup.
In the semifinals, Assar will compete against Salifou in the men’s singles, while in the women’s singles semifinals, Meshref will tackle compatriot Alhodaby for a chance to reach the tournament final.
