At the 2025 ITTF Africa Championships in Tunis, Omar Assar and Hana Goda emerged as the champions in the men’s and women’s singles events, setting new milestones in the process.
On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, the African table tennis scene witnessed remarkable performances as Omar Assar and Hana Goda solidified their supremacy by breaking records at the ITTF Africa Championships held in Tunis.
Assar secured his unprecedented fifth Men’s Singles title, while 17-year-old Goda made history as the youngest African athlete to capture three consecutive Women’s Singles championships.
Assar entered the tournament with a clear goal to reclaim the crown and faced fierce competition from fellow Egyptian Youssef Abdelaziz in a gripping final that kept spectators on edge until the last point.
Meanwhile, Goda delivered a dominant performance, sweeping past Dina Meshref 4-0 in a match that showcased her rapid ascent as one of Africa’s premier talents. With this victory, Assar became the first player on the continent to win five singles titles.
“This year’s victory demanded immense mental strength,” Goda reflected. “Although the score might suggest an easy win, the battle on the table was intense. I’m honored to be the first African woman to achieve three back-to-back singles titles.”
While Goda’s match concluded swiftly in under an hour, Assar’s path to triumph was more arduous, as he twice rallied from behind to claim his fifth singles championship.
Looking back on the challenging final, Assar shared, “This match reminded me of the thrilling comebacks I’ve had against Aruna, especially when I was down 3-1. Today, I stayed composed and kept pushing myself not to quit – this title meant everything to me. Winning my fifth singles crown, which is my 14th overall in Africa, is a proud moment. I’m aiming for number 15 soon.”
Egypt’s dominance extended beyond individual events, as the country swept all three doubles categories-Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Men’s Doubles-at the championships.
In Mixed Doubles, reigning champions Youssef Abdelaziz and Mariam Alhodaby successfully defended their title, defeating compatriots Mostafa Badr and Marwa Alhodaby in straight sets (11-4, 11-7, 11-9).
The newly formed Women’s Doubles pair of Dina Meshref and Hana Goda proved unstoppable, overcoming the Alhodaby twins, Mariam and Marwa, 3-1 (11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4) to secure their inaugural title together. This duo had previously reached the final at the WTT Contender Lagos in July.
In the Men’s Doubles final, Abdelaziz teamed up with Mohamed El-Beiali to defeat Algeria’s Bella Maheidine and Jellouli Milhane in an exciting 3-1 match (11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2), adding another gold to Egypt’s impressive medal tally.