Abdulfatai outshines Kuti at Daniel Ford table tennis championship

Africa Games and African Championship medalist Matthew Kuti lost his national champion title at the second Daniel Ford Elite Youth Invitational Table Tennis Championships, held in Lagos.

The event also crowned Rabiat Ayoola as the new U-19 girls’ champion in an action-packed finale on Saturday.

The two-day tournament, organized by the Nigeria Tennis Federation and sponsored by UK-based real estate entrepreneur Yemi Edun, brought together 75 of the nation’s top players at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Kuti sought to become the first player to secure consecutive titles at the competition.

However, despite taking an early 3-1 lead in the final, he was overcome by the resilience of left-handed Abdulfatai, who mounted an impressive comeback to win 4-3 (7-11, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9), earning his first victory over Kuti to the astonishment of fans.

In the U-19 girls’ final, Rabiat Ayoola also staged a dramatic comeback, defeating Aishat Rabiu 4-3 (11-9, 8-11, 14-16, 8-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-4) to clinch her maiden championship title.

The tournament showcased thrilling displays of skill and determination, solidifying its place as a premier event in Nigerian table tennis.

In the girls’ U-15 final, Abia State claimed their first national title after Chinenye Okafor beat Ifeoluwa Ajasa of Lagos State 3-2 (11-5, 11-9, 11-13, 9-11, 11-6).

In the boys’ U-15, Abdulamid Adebayo of Lagos stunned Samuel Dada of Kogi 3-2 (4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7) to become the new boys’ champion. Kuti, Udoaka move up in ITTF rankings.

Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the special guest at the grand finale, lauded Edun for investing in youth development through sports.

“I commend Yemi Edun for returning home to sponsor this kind of tournament that helps unearth talents. I appeal to other Nigerians in the Diaspora to emulate him by seeing what they can do to help our youths in the country,” she said.

Edun also expressed his commitment to the tournament’s growth, with plans to support the players in their quest to become world-class table tennis athletes.

“We are looking at consistency on our part as sponsors and I hope they can raise the bar as well. We will keep tinkering with it. Many years ago, I used to come into this stadium to watch matches and other events, so I feel the passion and the enthusiasm of the players.”