By Emeka Dennar
Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti has finally reached the pinnacle of African youth table tennis, capturing the boys’ U-19 singles title at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup held at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
The long-awaited continental victory marks a career-defining breakthrough for Kuti following years of hard-fought campaigns at the highest levels of youth competition.
Kuti sealed the crown in impressive fashion by defeating compatriot Sultan Agunbiade 4-1 in an all-Nigerian final. His path to the summit was highlighted by a dramatic semifinal clash against Egypt’s Abdelmalk Elsayed. Avengeing a painful quarterfinal exit to Elsayed at the previous Africa Youth Championships, Kuti demonstrated sharp tactical resilience to battle past the Egyptian 4-2 before triumphing in the final.
Despite the setback in the title match, Agunbiade staged a remarkable tournament run of his own. The Nigerian youngster produced one of the competition’s biggest upsets in the semifinals, stunning top seed and defending champion Wassim Essid of Tunisia. Agunbiade stormed to an initial 3-0 lead before closing out a convincing 4-1 victory.
Continental Honours Split in Youth Categories
The action-packed tournament delivered equally dramatic narratives across the remaining age divisions:
- Girls’ U-19 Singles: Egypt’s Habiba Elbasoumy claimed the championship after defeating Algeria’s Jade Morice 4-1 in the final. The division was blown wide open early in the knockout rounds following the shock quarterfinal exit of top seed Yara Elbadawy.
- Girls’ U-15 Singles: Tunisia’s Ela Saidi turned the tables on Uganda’s Patience Anyango. After dropping a tight 3-2 decision to Anyango at the Youth Championships, Saidi exacted swift revenge with a dominant 3-0 sweep to lift the U-15 title.
- Boys’ U-15 Singles: Egypt’s Asser Sameh firmly cemented his reputation as “Mr. Perfect.” Sameh capped off a flawless, undefeated run across both singles and team events by dispatching Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira 3-0 in the final, establishing himself as the tournament’s standout performer.
