Tough Day for Nigeria as Mati, Olajide, Ojomu, and Others Crash Out of ITTF African Championships Singles

Posted : 17 October 2025

Nigeria’s table tennis stars endured a disappointing outing at the 2025 ITTF African Championships in Tunisia.

It was a disappointing outing for Nigeria’s table tennis contingent at the ongoing 2025 ITTF African Championships in Tunisia, as all ten singles players were eliminated before the quarter-final stage. Despite a promising start to the competition, the Nigerian representatives faltered against stronger opposition during a tough day at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Rades.

After an encouraging first day filled with impressive victories, hopes were high for the Nigerian squad. However, their campaign took a sharp downturn in the round of 32, where several players struggled to keep up with the tactical discipline and consistency of their North and Central African rivals.

One of the early highlights came from 20-year-old Matthew Kuti, who cruised past Ivory Coast’s Jean Pierre Bayala with a dominant 4–0 (11–7, 11–2, 11–4, 11–8) win to reach the round of 16. Unfortunately, his fine run ended there, as he was defeated 4–1 (11–2, 13–11, 8–11, 11–8, 14–12) by Egypt’s Mohamed Elbeiali in a tightly contested match.

Elsewhere, 13-year-old Aishat Rabiu, making her championship debut, lost 4–0 to Madagascar’s Hanitra Raharimanana despite putting up a spirited fight. Taiwo Mati, returning to international play after nearly three years, was outclassed by Egypt’s Badr Mostafa, while Abdulbasit Abdulfatai fell 4–1 to Algeria’s Bella Maheidine, despite winning the opening set.

The women’s singles event offered no reprieve for Team Nigeria. Ajoke Ojomu, regarded as one of the nation’s biggest hopes, suffered a 4–0 defeat to Algeria’s Jade Morice, who dictated play throughout. Team captain Olajide Omotayo provided a brief moment of optimism with a commanding 4–0 win over South Africa’s Liam Beukes in the round of 32, only to bow out in the following round.

In other matches, Muizz Adegoke was beaten 4–0 by Benin’s Abdel-Kader Salifou, while in the women’s draw, Sukurat Aiyelabegan and Favour Ojo both advanced to the round of 16 before losing to top Egyptian players. Aiyelabegan, who had earlier defeated Algeria’s Houda Taguercifi 4–1, could not match the intensity of top seed Hana Goda, losing 4–0. Similarly, Ojo went down 4–1 to Farida Badawy.

This marks the first time in over a decade that Nigeria has failed to produce a singles quarter-finalist at the ITTF African Championships — a disappointing record for one of the continent’s table tennis powerhouses.

With the singles campaign now over, attention shifts to the mixed doubles events, where Team Nigeria will be aiming to bounce back and reclaim national pride after their early exits in both the men’s and women’s categories.

Tough Day for Nigeria as Mati, Olajide, Ojomu, and Others Crash Out of ITTF African Championships Singles

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