Nigeria’s Quadri Atunwon delivered a heroic performance to help the country retain the boys’ U-19 team title at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships after a dramatic victory over Egypt in Accra, Ghana.
The final, played on Wednesday at the Borteyman Sports Complex, saw Nigeria recover from a 0-2 deficit to claim a thrilling 3-2 win.
Egypt took control of the tie by winning the opening two matches, but Sultan Agunbiade reignited Nigeria’s challenge with a crucial victory to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Matthew Kuti, who had earlier suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Yassin Gaber, bounced back impressively to beat Abdelmalk Elsayed 3-1, levelling the contest at 2-2 and forcing a decisive fifth match.
With the championship on the line, Atunwon faced Gaber in a gripping encounter. The players shared the opening four games, leaving the match tied at 2-2.
Atunwon raced into an 8-2 lead in the deciding game, but Gaber staged a remarkable comeback, drawing level at 8-8 before taking a 10-8 advantage to earn two championship points.
Showing remarkable composure, Atunwon saved both match points to level the score at 10-10 before edging a tense finish 16-14 to seal victory for Nigeria and successfully defend the boys’ U-19 team title.
Elsewhere, Egypt dominated the remaining team events, claiming the boys’ U-15, girls’ U-15 and girls’ U-19 titles.
In the boys’ U-15 final, Egypt defeated Nigeria 3-0 after the defending champions had survived a hard-fought 3-2 semifinal victory over hosts Ghana.
Ahmed Elsabbagh gave Egypt the lead with a straight-sets victory over Marvelous Joseph, while Asser Sameh defeated Usman Ayoola by the same margin before Hussein Eyad completed the sweep with another 3-0 win against Samson Joshua.
Egypt also reclaimed the girls’ U-15 title with a 3-1 victory over Tunisia after losing the crown to Uganda in 2025.
In the girls’ U-19 final, Egypt successfully defended its title with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The results saw Egypt claim three of the four team titles on offer, reaffirming its dominance in African youth table tennis, while Nigeria celebrated a memorable boys’ U-19 triumph inspired by Atunwon’s match-winning display.
Source:NAN
