The 5th Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial National Table Tennis Championships will crown new champions on Friday, May 2, following the exit of defending champions Jamiu Ayanwale and Sukurat Aiyelabegan. The finals of the five-day tournament are being held at Otan Ayegbaju, Osun State.
Sanctioned by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) and organized by the Osun State Table Tennis Association, the tournament boasts a prize pool of ₦11.5 million. Players from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Taraba, Nasarawa, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, and the host state, Osun, are competing for honors in various events.
Clubs such as Aruna Sports Club, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigeria Police Force are also vying for top honors at the national ranking championships.
In a major upset, Kwara’s Matthew Fabunmi defeated 2024 champion Jamiu Ayanwale of Rivers in the quarterfinals of the Men’s Singles with a 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8) victory. Number one seed Abdulbasit Abdulfatai continued his dominant run, securing a 4-1 win over Abdulraheem Sanni of Edo in the semifinals. Fabunmi also triumphed over Joshua Oladiran of Ondo 4-1, setting up an all-Kwara final.
In the Women’s Singles, veteran Halimat Hussein of Oyo used her experience to edge out 2024 champion Sukurat Aiyelabegan. Hussein then defeated national champion Bose Odusanya of Lagos 4-3 to reach the final, where she will face Hope Udoaka of Cross River. Udoaka had a smooth path to the final, overcoming Aishat Raibu of Oyo 4-1 in the semifinals.
In the Men’s Singles para event, Class 1-5, Paris 2024 Paralympics bronze medalist Isau Ogunkunle of Ogun emerged as the champion. In Class 6-10, Abiola Adesope claimed the title by defeating Tokyo 2020 Paralympics bronze medalist Olufemi Alabi.
