Nigeria table tennis youngster Matthew Kuti is smiling again after reclaiming his national title at the 10th Elicris Table Tennis Cup, beating Muiz Adegoke 4-2 at Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The win came just days after he was dethroned by Abdulbasit Abdulfatai at the second Daniel Ford tournament but the teenage sensation put the defeat behind him to rally from 2-0 down to beat Adegoke in the men’s singles of the championship.
Kuti said he drew inspiration from his loss to Abdulfatai.
“When I was 2-0 down, I told myself nothing would happen,” he said after the win.
“I reminded myself that I lost a game from 3-1 up last week and I pushed myself to do nothing but my best again. So, I made it 2-1, 2-2, 3-2 and 4-2. I am very happy.”
Meanwhile, Hope Udoka Udoaka of Cross River State confirmed her dominance in the country after beating Sukurat Aiyelabegan 4-2 in the final of the women’s singles.
Despite winning the first game at 11-4, Aiyelabegan fell short of her dominance as she was humbled by her experienced opponent to concede defeat at 4-2 (4-11, 11-4, 14-12, 11-9, 13-15, 11-7).
For the sponsor, Yomi Adejobi, there are plans to expand the tournament with more players competing in the next edition.
“We opened the tournament to players all over the country this year to celebrate our 10th year. We hope to continue this way and if possible to make it international by inviting people from other countries to join. We will continue with this standard for the next two or three editions to stabilise it well,” Adejobi said.
Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association, Tunji Lawal, noted that the performance of their players at the tournament and other competitions is the result of the Lagos State government’s efforts.
“You can see what we’ve made out of our young players who have become senior players. I want to use this opportunity to thank the Governor of Lagos State for his support through the Lagos State Sports Commission. We are taking Lagos State table tennis to another level and we will continue to crave support from government, corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals.”
