Team Nigeria’s quest for medals in the U-19 Boys’ and Girls’ Singles events at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships in Accra, Ghana, came to a disappointing end after all four remaining players were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
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Sports247 reports that Nigeria will finish the U-19 singles competition without a podium place despite an encouraging run to the last eight.
In the U-19 Boys’ Singles, Agunbiade Sultan saw his impressive campaign halted by Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, who produced a dominant display to claim a 4-1 victory and secure a semi-final berth.
Nigeria’s Michael Fabunmi was also knocked out after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Egypt’s Gaber Yasin, who continued his impressive run through the tournament.
There was also disappointment for Kuti Mathew, who battled courageously against Egypt’s ElSayed AbdelMalk. Despite producing moments of brilliance and winning two games, the Nigerian was unable to overturn his opponent’s superiority, eventually falling 4-2 in a hard-fought contest.
In the U-19 Girls’ Singles, Nigeria’s sole remaining representative, Ayoola Kabirat, was eliminated after losing in straight sets to Uganda’s giant-killer Jemimah Nakawala. Nakawala, who had stunned top seed Yara Elbadawy of Egypt in the previous round, continued her remarkable run to book a place in the semi-finals.
The quarter-final exits mean Nigeria’s hopes of securing medals in the U-19 singles events have officially ended.
Attention now shifts to the U-15 Singles, where Nigeria still has strong medal prospects. The country’s young stars will be aiming to keep the national flag flying high as they seek to challenge for continental honours in the remaining singles events.
While the U-19 campaign ended in disappointment, the performances of Nigeria’s players throughout the championship once again demonstrated the country’s depth of talent and its continued status as one of Africa’s leading forces in youth table tennis.
