Team Nigeria has been knocked out of the 2025 International Table Tennis Federation African Club Championships in Tunis, Tunisia.
The Canaan Queens of Calabar, Nigeria’s sole representatives in the tournament, lost 0-3 to PETROJET Women’s team of Egypt in the semi-finals at the El-Menzah Sports Hall on Monday.
The Nigerian team, led by Fatimo Bello, Janet Effiong, Cecilia Otu-Akpan, and Hope Udoaka, had shown promise earlier in the competition. They secured victories against club sides from Tunisia and Madagascar during the group stage.
However, their unbeaten run ended when they lost 0-3 to defending champions, Zamalek of Egypt, in their final group match. This defeat placed them second in their group, allowing them to progress to the semi-finals where they faced PETROJET.
Despite their efforts, the Nigerian ladies could not overcome the strong Egyptian side, bringing their journey in the tournament to an end.
Eight women’s teams from Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ethiopia, and Madagascar participated in the event. The final match will see two Egyptian teams, Al Zamalek and PETROJET, battle for the championship title later today.
In the men’s category, nine teams from Egypt, Algeria, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Madagascar, Congo DR, and Cote d’Ivoire are competing for the top prize. Egypt’s ENPPI team are the defending champions.
Meanwhile, attention now shifts to the ITTF African Cup, scheduled to start on Tuesday, also in Tunis.
