Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Agency Report
Published on 2024-04-15 10:05:04
The African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) confirmed on Sunday that Quadri Aruna, Nigeria’s only representative at the ITTF World Cup in Macao 2024, will be competing in Group 15 of the men’s singles event. Aruna will face off against Portugal’s Marcos Freitas and Puerto Rico’s Daniel Gonzalez in his group, with Egypt’s Omar Assar also vying for advancement.
The men’s singles event features 48 players divided into 16 groups, with each group consisting of three players. The winner of each group will progress to the next stage of the competition. Aruna, a regular participant in ITTF World Cups, holds the distinction of being the first and only African player to reach the quarterfinals of this prestigious tournament.
Aruna is scheduled to start his campaign against Portugal’s Freitas on April 15, followed by a match against Puerto Rico’s Gonzalez. Egypt’s trio of Omar Assar, Ahmed Saleh, and Mohamed El-Beiali have also been drawn into different groups for the competition.
Assar, the African Games champion, will compete against Sweden’s Truls Moregard and Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan in Group 16. Saleh faces a tough challenge in Group 11 against former European champion Dan Qui of Germany and Japan’s Shunsuke Togami. El-Beiali, making his debut at the ITTF World Cup, is set to take on Korea’s Jang Woojin and France’s Simon Gauzy in Group 9.
On the women’s side, three Egyptians and one Cameroonian will be representing Africa in the singles event. Yousra Helmy, Hana Goda, and Mariam Alhodaby will compete in groups 9, 12, and 11 respectively, while Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou will be in Group 11 alongside players from Korea and Brazil.
The top seed in the men’s singles event, Wang Chuqin of China, will face Kirill Gerasimenko and An Jaehyun in Group 1. With a strong record against both opponents, Wang is expected to have a smooth path to the next stage of the competition. Wang, a two-time champion in Macao, is poised for another impressive performance at this year’s World Cup.
Defending champion Fan Zhendong will begin his title defense against Wong Chun Ting and Benedikt Duda. Fan, who is on a 16-match win streak, aims to continue his dominance in the tournament. Wong, coming off a recent title win, is in top form and poses a significant challenge to Fan.
In the women’s singles event, top seed Sun Yingsha will face familiar opponents in Group 1. Defending champion Chen Meng will take on new challengers in Group 4, while past winner Miu Hirano will kick off her campaign in Group 14.
Overall, the ITTF World Cup in Macao 2024 promises exciting matchups and fierce competition as players from around the world vie for the prestigious title. Fans can expect thrilling performances and impressive displays of talent throughout the tournament.
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