African Stars Target Strong Preliminary Starts Ahead of Historic WTT US Smash in Las Vegas

Posted : 27 May 2026

African table tennis icons are finalizing preparations to secure a strong start at the historic 2025 WTT US Smash. Nigeria's Olajide Omotayo and Egypt's Mohamed El-Beiali are spearheading the continental charge in the preliminary rounds. The highly anticipated 11-day tournament will take place from July 3 to July 13 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. This elite event marks the very first WTT Grand Smash to be hosted in the United States and features a massive prize purse of 1.55 million dollars.

Former African Games champion Olajide Omotayo faces an intriguing opening match against American wildcard entry Victor Xie on Friday, July 4. The experienced Nigerian star currently holds the number 162 spot in the ITTF world rankings. He will look to utilize his superior experience against the Chinese-born American who sits at number 777 globally. Omotayo splits his professional training schedule between France and the United States; consequently, he faces a demanding qualification route to join the elite names already waiting in the main bracket.

Several other prominent African competitors will join Omotayo in the intense men's singles preliminary matchups. Egyptian representative Mohamed El-Beiali faces a challenging opening fixture against Slovenia's tactical star Deni Kozul. His compatriot Mahmoud Helmy will test his skills against another homegrown American talent in Ved Sheth. Meanwhile, Algeria's Mehdi Bouloussa faces a daunting clash against Swedish powerhouse Kristian Karlsson, while Benin Republic's Abdel-Kader Salifou takes on Spain's Juan Perez.

The women's singles preliminary division features a lone African competitor striving to reach the prestigious main draw. Egypt's Yosura Helmy carries the hopes of the continent alone as she prepares to face off against American representative Mandy Yu. Fortunately, several top-ranked African superstars have already bypassed these tricky preliminary rounds by earning direct qualification into the main tournament brackets.

Nigerian talisman Quadri Aruna and Egyptian maestro Omar Assar will anchor the continent directly in the men's singles main draw. The Egyptian women's trio of Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby also secured automatic entry into the main championship field. World champion Wang Chuqin expressed immense excitement about competing in Las Vegas; he noted that the city perfectly blends world-class sports with a unique entertainment atmosphere.

African Stars Target Strong Preliminary Starts Ahead of Historic WTT US Smash in Las Vegas

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