Africa’s top-ranked youth table tennis player, Wassim Essid of Tunisia, capped off his stay in Nigeria with silverware, crushing Nigeria’s Muiz Adegoke 4-0 to win the boys’ U-19 singles title at the inaugural ITTF Africa Youth Cup, also known as the BRF Cup.
The final, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, was a one-sided contest, with Essid showing no signs of fatigue despite playing back-to-back tournaments in Lagos over two weeks.
Essid had earlier fallen short in his title defence at the ITTF Africa Youth Championships – also held in Lagos – losing 1-4 to Egypt’s Badr Mostafa. But he bounced back with authority to claim the Youth Cup crown. His route to the final included a gritty 4-3 quarterfinal win over Nigeria’s Abdulbasit Abdulfatai.
“I’ve spent many days in Nigeria, and winning this title was the perfect way to finish,” Essid said after the final. He had competed in both the WTT Contender Lagos (July 22–26) and the African Youth events (July 27–August 5).
More Read
Egypt also maintained their dominance on the girls’ side as Mariam Younes stormed to the U-19 singles title with a 4-0 win over compatriot Nour Zaki. The victory added to Younes’ recent success after she defended her title at the Africa Youth Championships just days earlier.
In the U-15 category, Algeria’s Tania Morice continued her impressive run in Lagos. After winning the U-15 title at the Youth Championships, she returned to grab the first-ever U-15 singles title at the BRF Cup, rallying from two sets down to defeat Uganda’s Jemimah Nakawala 3-2 (5-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-6).
Uganda got its moment on the boys’ side, with Joseph Sebatindira sweeping compatriot Sharif Nsereko 3-0 in the final to win the boys’ U-15 title. The result underscores Uganda’s quiet but steady rise in youth table tennis on the continent.
In total, 76 players – 45 boys and 31 girls – from 14 African countries took part in the BRF Cup, which is fully recognised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and will contribute to players’ global rankings.
The BRF Cup is named in honour of Babatunde Raji Fashola, the former Governor of Lagos State, whose 2013 approval of the Lagos International Sports Classics laid the groundwork for the state’s status as a continental table tennis hub. Lagos now hosts both the ITTF Challenge Series and the WTT Contender Lagos, solidifying its role in shaping the future of African table tennis.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
