Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti captured his maiden continental title after winning the boys’ U-19 singles at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup in Accra, Ghana.
Kuti ends wait for African title
After several unsuccessful attempts to reach the top, Kuti finally delivered on July 29 at the Borteyman Sports Complex. He defeated fellow Nigerian Sultan Agunbiade 4–1 in the final, turning a long pursuit of silverware into a convincing statement victory.
- Kuti’s route to the championship included a 4–2 semifinal success over Egypt’s Abdelmalk Elsayed.
- The result also represented revenge for Kuti, who had suffered a quarterfinal defeat to Elsayed at the Africa Youth Championships.
Agunbiade and Elbasoumy claim major wins
Agunbiade also produced one of the tournament’s biggest performances before the all-Nigerian final. Against Tunisia’s top-ranked player and reigning champion Wassim Essid, he surged into a 3–0 lead. Essid managed to take one game, but Agunbiade completed a 4–1 win, underlining what appeared to be a changing hierarchy in African youth table tennis.
Egypt’s Habiba Elbasoumy took the girls’ U-19 singles crown, beating Algeria’s Jade Morice 4–1. The event was guaranteed to produce a first-time champion after top seed Yara Elbadawy was eliminated in the quarterfinals, setting up a contest between Elbasoumy and Morice for the title.
Saidi gains revenge in U-15 final
Tunisia’s Ela Saidi secured redemption in the girls’ U-15 singles. She had previously been edged 3–2 by Uganda’s Patience Anyango at the Youth Championships, but this rematch followed a completely different script.
Saidi controlled the final from start to finish, defeating Anyango 3–0 to become Africa’s new U-15 champion.
Sameh completes unbeaten Accra campaign
Egypt’s Asser Sameh justified his “Mr. Perfect” nickname by finishing the boys’ U-15 competition without defeat. His unbeaten record extended across both the singles and team events, and he concluded the campaign with a 3–0 final victory over Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira.
- Sameh’s control and composure made him one of the tournament’s leading performers in Accra.
- He was the only player to remain undefeated in every event.
