Nigeria’s men’s table tennis team reclaimed their dominance in West Africa with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships on Thursday.
The win marks a triumphant return to the top for the Nigerian men, who had narrowly lost the title to Togo in 2024.
This year, playing in front of a home crowd at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall in Lagos, the team showed renewed focus and firepower throughout the tournament.
Led by the trio of Matthew Kuti, Taiwo Mati, and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Nigeria dropped only one set during the group stage—coincidentally to Côte d’Ivoire—before sweeping past all challengers in the knockout rounds.
The women’s team, captained by Ajoke Ojomu, also delivered a flawless campaign, defeating Benin Republic, Ghana, and Guinea en route to defending their title.
The Nigerian women remain unbeaten in the regional circuit for the second consecutive year.
The four-day regional championship doubles as a qualifier for the 2025 African Championships, set to be held in Kigali, Rwanda later this year.
The top three teams in each event earn qualification for the continental finals.
Singles Action Heats Up
The singles competition, which kicked off on Friday, July 18, is already delivering fierce battles. Defending men’s singles champion Oba Oba Kizito of Côte d’Ivoire faces stiff competition from former champions Taiwo Mati and Matthew Kuti, both representing Nigeria. Strong contenders also emerged from Togo and Benin Republic.
Guinea’s Maret Camara made an early statement by topping Group 9 with a 3-0 win over Ghana’s James Marfo, while Nigeria’s Matthew Fabunmi suffered the country’s only singles loss so far—narrowly edged out 3-2 by Benin’s Atanda Adou in Group 11.
In the women’s singles, Nigeria’s dominance continued as Ajoke Ojomu, Kabirat Ayoola, Aishat Rabiu, Favour Ojo, Maryam Ahmed, and Sukurat Aiyelabegan all finished top of their respective groups, advancing to the knockout stages.
The 2025 ITTF Africa West Regional Championships wraps up on Saturday, July 19, with the finals of the men’s and women’s singles events.
A total of ten countries are participating in this year’s edition, making it one of the most competitive in recent memory.
Nigeria will look to complete a clean sweep and carry their regional success into the African Championships in Kigali.
Sports247.ng
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