Quadri, Assar, others to fly Africa’s flag at Hungary Open

Africa’s top ranked table tennis stars, Aruna Quadri, Omar Assar among others from Egypt and Nigeria will be representing the continent at this year’s first International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Hungarian Open holding in Budapest. The championship serves off on January 19 to 22.

Other players that will hoist Africa’s flag include Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo, Kazeem Makanjuola, Bode Abiodun and Ojo Onaolapo. While Egypt’s other representative will be Omar’s brother, Khaled.

The $70,000 prize money championship will kick-starts on January 17, with the preliminary, as the likes of Omotayo, Abiodun, Makanjuola and Onaolapo will be competing in both the singles and the doubles events.

Quadri will be partnering Omar in the men’s doubles event, while Omotayo will pair with Onaolapo and Makanjuola with Abiodun.Fifty-four nations around the world are expected to be part of the four days championship of 331 players that include 220 men and 111 women, slugging it out in five events of boys and girls’ U-21 singles and men and women’s singles and doubles.

Nations expected at the tournament include highly rated China, Germany, Chinese Taipei, England, Portugal, Russia and others.The championship serves as a point-hauling event for ranking, as well as qualification for the end-of-year ITTF World Tour Grand finals.