Omar Assar and Hana Goda cemented their dominance in African table tennis by setting new records at the 2025 ITTF Africa Championships in Tunis on Wednesday, October 15.
Assar clinched his fifth Men’s Singles title, while Goda, at just 17, became the youngest African to win three consecutive Women’s Singles titles.
Assar, who made no secret of his ambition to reclaim the title in Tunis, was pushed to the limit by compatriot Youssef Abdelaziz in a thrilling final that had all the hallmarks of a classic showdown.
In contrast, Goda cruised to victory, overpowering Dina Meshref 4-0 in a commanding display that confirmed her status as the continent’s rising star. With this win, Assar has become the first player to clinch five singles titles in the continent.
“Winning this year’s title wasn’t easy — it was mentally tough,” Goda said. “The scoreline might look simple, but the match was intense. I’m proud to become the first African woman to win three consecutive singles titles.”
While Goda wrapped up her match in under an hour, Assar had to dig deep, coming from behind twice to secure his fifth singles crown.
Reflecting on the hard-fought win, Assar said, “This final reminded me of the roller-coaster matches I’ve had with Aruna, where I had to come back from 3-1 down. Today, I stayed focused and kept telling myself not to give up — I needed this badly. I’m proud to win my fifth title, marking my 14th singles title in Africa. I hope to make it to 15 soon.”
Egypt’s dominance extended beyond the singles events, as the nation swept all three doubles titles — Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Men’s Doubles —at the championships.
In the Mixed Doubles final, defending champions Youssef Abdelaziz and Mariam Alhodaby retained their crown with a straight-sets victory over fellow Egyptians Mostafa Badr and Marwa Alhodaby (11-4, 11-7, 11-9).
The newly formed duo of Dina Meshref and Hana Goda proved formidable in the Women’s Doubles, defeating the Alhodaby twins, Mariam and Marwa, 3-1 (11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4) to claim their first title together. The pair had previously reached the final at the WTT Contender Lagos in July.
In the Men’s Doubles, Abdelaziz added to his medal haul by teaming up with Mohamed El-Beiali. The Egyptian pair overcame Algeria’s Bella Maheidine and Jellouli Milhane in an entertaining 3-1 final (11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2).
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