Omotayo, El-Beiali Lead African Hopes at 2025 WTT US Smash

Posted : 03 July 2025

African table tennis stars are set to shine at the 2025 WTT US Smash, with Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali spearheading the continent’s campaign.

The event, taking place from July 3 to 13 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, marks the first-ever WTT Grand Smash hosted in the United States. Boasting a $1.55 million prize pool, the tournament has drawn top global talents for one of the sport’s most prestigious showdowns.

Omotayo, the 2019 African Games champion, returns to international competition with a tough opening match against American wildcard Victor Xie. Ranked 162nd in the world, Omotayo will rely on his experience against Xie, currently ranked 777th, when they clash on Friday, July 4.

Now splitting his time between the U.S. and France, Omotayo faces a challenging path to qualify for the star-studded main draw, and his progress will be closely followed as Africa looks to make a deep run in the competition.

Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali begins his campaign against Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, while fellow Egyptian Mahmoud Helmy faces American Ved Sheth. Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa is set to take on Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson, and Benin Republic’s Abdel-Kader Salifou will face Spain’s Juan Perez.

In the women’s singles preliminaries, Egypt’s Yousra Helmy stands as Africa’s sole representative and is scheduled to play American Mandy Yu.

Meanwhile, top African players such as Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar are already seeded in the men’s singles main draw, alongside Egyptian stars Hana Goda, Dina Meshref, and Mariam Alhodaby in the women’s main draw.

Excitement is building around the tournament, with global stars expressing their enthusiasm for the Las Vegas setting.

China’s world champion Wang Chuqin said he was eager to compete in a city famed for world-class entertainment and sports. Sweden’s Anton Källberg echoed the sentiment, looking forward to experiencing the unique Vegas buzz.

American stars Lily Zhang and Kanak Jha praised Las Vegas as a glamorous, vibrant host city perfectly suited for elite-level table tennis.

As the WTT US Smash 2025 kicks off, African athletes aim to make their mark and join the world’s elite in the quest for table tennis glory.

Omotayo, El-Beiali Lead African Hopes at 2025 WTT US Smash

African table tennis stars are set to shine at the 2025 WTT US Smash, with Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali spearheading the continent’s campaign.

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics