Table Tennis: Aruna and Assar Shine as Kenyans Falter on Day One of the ITTF Africa Cup at Kasarani

The 2023 International Table Tennis (ITTF) Africa Cup kicked off on Thursday at the Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Indoor Gymnasium in Nairobi with favourites Qaudri Aruna and Omar Assar securing 3-0 wins over their opponents.

The competition, which ends on Saturday, offers a $5000 (Sh682,000) cash prize to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles events, along with world ranking points for all participants.

Despite a tough start for the home players, Aruna currently ranked top in Africa and 12th globally, breezed past Kenya’s Peter Muturi with an 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 victory.

Aruna, who is gunning for the title, acknowledged the tough competition and stated that he would take it one match at a time. Meanwhile, Assar, ranked second in Africa, won his match against Saido Mohamed 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 and is seeking his 10th title in the competition.

Following their wins, Aruna and Assar topped Group One and Two respectively with two points each. Home players Brian Mutua, Boniface Musyoki, and Josiah Wandera, however, started their campaigns with losses. In the women’s singles, Egyptian players Hana Goda and Dina Meshref defeated Ethiopian Feven Tamiru and Kenya’s Nasimiyu Wele with ease.

The competition promises to be a thrilling event, and both Aruna and Assar are eager to take home the prize.

While Aruna acknowledges the challenging competition, he remains confident in his abilities. Assar, on the other hand, is determined to win his 10th title and hopes to do so in Nairobi.

The competition continues, and the players will be fighting hard for a chance to be crowned the champions of the 2023 ITTF Africa Cup.