Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Dina Meshref reclaimed the men and women’s ITTF Africa Cup titles respectively after winning the 2024 edition that concluded at BK Arena on Tuesday night, May 14. Aruna, the top seed still fresh from his exploits at the WTT Saudi Smash, was again unstoppable with a commanding win in the final against Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali. The one-sided final saw Aruna effortlessly take down the Egyptian with a 4-0 (11-5, 11-6, 12-10, 11-3) win to emerge as the new Africa Cup champion after losing the title to Egypt’s Omar Assar in 2018. “There was never an easy win in any competition, and I am happy that I gave my best and my best resulted in the victory,” he said after the victory. “It has always been in me not to give up, even when I am down, and I am happy that all my hardwork paid off with the victory. I must commend Rwanda for providing good facilities and their hospitality for us, the players, and I look forward to returning again to this beautiful country,” World No. 19 added. Like Aruna, Meshref was at her best after coming back from 2-0 down to defeat her compatriot, Mariam Alhodaby, 4-3 to become the new Africa Cup champion after losing the last two editions in the final. A relieved Meshref described the victory as crucial, particularly coming back from injury. “I am happy that I was able to come back, especially coming back from an injury I sustained before the tournament. I must thank my family and my mother, who sacrificed to be with me in Rwanda. It was a tough win for me here in this beautiful country of Rwanda, and I will cherish this moment for a very long time to come,” she said. The tournament attracted over 50 players from 14 countries taking part as players brace up for the African Olympic Qualification Tournament, which begins on May 16 and ends on May 18.
